Translated by UiOGPT
"We will examine the intended and unintended consequences of punishment in Norway. More specifically, this means we will look closely at what happens to the lives of people who come into contact with the criminal justice system in different ways, with a clear focus on future criminal activity, employment, education, and family," says Andersen.
Crime and Punishment
She explains that the project's main goal is to study the effects of punishment in the Norwegian context.
"We will use methods that can account for pre-existing differences between individuals who are punished in different ways and thus are expected to have different life outcomes, irrespectively of how they are punished."
"Disentangling the direct effects of punishment from other individual-level factors is important for policy makers both in Norway and abroad, as well as for future theory development in this field," Andersen explains.
The project will also investigate the impact of Norwegian approaches to punishment outside of the Norwegian context, by following an ongoing prison reform project in Pennsylvania (PA).
A Professional Milestone
She is one of five Norwegian researchers who, in this round, receive funding from the Research Council for Researcher Project for Young Talents. The project is titled “Punishment as a Vehicle for Change? The Causal Impact of Norwegian Corrections on Reoffending and Reintegration in Norway and Beyond (NoReoffend).”
"I was both surprised and very happy when I got the news! Receiving such an award is a major professional milestone for me, and a fantastic opportunity to invest in and strengthen ongoing research on topics I am interested in," emphasizes Andersen, adding,
"It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to hire a PhD candidate who can delve into these topics, and to be in a position to purchase data that are designed uniquely for our research agenda."
Applied Relevance
Also involved in the project are Andreas Kotsadam from the Frisch Centre, and Trude Lappegård and Torbjørn Skardhamar from ISS, as well as contributors from Denmark, the USA, and the Netherlands.
"It is also invaluable that the Norwegian Correctional Service participates directly in the project, and the ambition is for this to become a project that is both relevant and useful for those working in the field," concludes the project leader.
Anniken Hagelund, head of the Department of Sociology and Human Geography (ISS), is very pleased with the FRIPRO allocation from the Research Council.
"This is excellent news. It's very exciting that one of ISS's young, talented researchers is getting an early career boost and can compete in the tough competition for FRIPRO funding for a researcher project for young talents," she states.