This week I had the opportunity to visit SCI Chester, a state prison outside Philly, to see one of the most interesting experiments in incarceration. Given that 95% of inmates will eventually be released, it's imperative that time spent in prison is rehabilitative and promotes reentry to society. But most prisons are anything but. In response to addressing every incident of violence and misconduct, prison staffs have acted rationally to tighten conditions to promote safety for both guards and inmates. But after decades of tightening rules and escalating tension, conditions in some prisons are inhumane and can border on barbaric. Perhaps the causation has flipped. The inhumane conditions that were enacted piecemeal in response to violence may now, in fact, be causing the violence, both while incarcerated and when released. There is strong evidence that prisons have become criminogenic. The skills necessary to survive behind bars are counter to those necessary to succeed when released, and thus current prison conditions cause more recividism. Other countries offer examples of different models. One of the most striking is how Scandanavia prisons function. There, the primary function of prisons is not to be a horrible place meant to punish but one meant to humanize and rehabilitate. Certainly, the population and culture of America is very different from Scandanavia, with the gang culture and racial tension serving as two examples. We should not expect the exact same model to work in Scandanavia as in America. But perhaps there is something to learn. In 2013, John Wetzel, the head of PA corrections, took a trip to Europe to tour prisons. “The culture and environment they were able to create inside their prisons were something that I never had seen or experienced before. And at the time, I had well over 25 years of experience and toured literally hundreds of facilities here in America,” he said. He was interested in trying these concepts in a facility in PA. We @Arnold_Ventures were interested as well. We funded a larger contingent to travel to Europe to understand the system. Wetzel decided to do a pilot project adopting these principles but tailored for America in one wing of SCI Chester. We encouraged him to randomize which inmates are placed there and are funding an evaluation to determine the effects while incarcerated (on both inmates and guards) and when released. COVID delayed the program but it's fully operational now, and while still new and small, the results are pronounced. The wing is quiet. Stress levels and trauma are low. Fights are largely absent. Inmates are focused on programming. The superintendent of the prison told me she was skeptical of the concept initially; now, she wants to see a whole prison transformed. In fact, in 2023 California announced that it was transforming San Quentin based on these priniciples. The 5-year recidivism rate for inmates is 71%. The conditions within prisons for both inmates and guards is traumatic. There is enormous room for improved outcomes. Rethinking prisons centered on humanity and reentry is a highly promising idea that is worth watching. As one of the researchers studying the project said, "The goal is not to be Sweden; the goal is to be better in Pennsylvania."