2014 Stockholm Prize in Criminology Nods to Progressive Prison Reform Research

The 2014 Stockholm Prize in Criminology was recently presented to two National Institute of Justice grantees, Daniel S. Nagin and Joan Petersilia. The award is an international prize that recognizes outstanding achievements in criminological research and/or policies for the reduction of crime and the advancement of human rights. It also highlights research that has proven results in improving the prison system.

One of the recipients, Daniel Nagin, researched evidence concerning the negative effects of prison. His research helped contribute to the first decline in more than forty years in the world’s incarceration rate, providing a clear analysis in the benefits of policing instead of prison. Nagin’s research has shown that imprisoning offenders does not correlate with a reduction in repeat offenders, and often times has the opposite effect, by increasing crime rates.

The other recipient, Joan Petersilia, created methods for successful prisoner re-entry into society. Petersilia’s research helped to increase our country’s financial investment in supporting ex-convicts during the period immediately following release from prison, a time in which the risk is higher for recidivism.

*For more information please go to the National Institute of Justice’s website at: 2014 Stockholm Prize Winners