About the project
Scandinavian states export criminal justice through their foreign policy and development aid programs. These exports target countries as different as Afghanistan, Colombia, DR Kongo, Kosovo, Lithuania, and Ukraine and concern issues that range from specific reforms of the national criminal justice system to broader international initiatives on women’s rights, transnational organized crime and international justice. However, the role of penal exports and what it says about Scandinavian penal power and position(ing) in the international order has never been explored.
Combining insights from global criminology, international relations, and sociology of law, the project 'Promoting Justice in a Time of Friction: Scandinavian Penal Exports & Rule of Law Promotion' (JustExports) explores the overall research question ‘How do Scandinavian states engage in penal exports?’ through three sub-questions
- How do penal exports travel?
- What are similarities and differences in Scandinavian states’ foreign policy use of penal exports?
- How do geopolitical changes shape the use of penal exports in Scandinavian states’ foreign policy and development aid?
Sub-projects
The abovementioned questions are analysed across different sub-projects that explore three different levels of Scandinavian penal exports:
1 – The field of Scandinavian penal exports
The sub-project provides a discursive overview of how Scandinavian penal exports travel, by developing an open access database on penal exports in Scandinavian foreign policy and development aid. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of Scandinavian penal exports and rule of law promotion as an object of criminological study.
Descriptive statistics from penality on the move. Part 1: Norwegian Penal Aid
Descriptive statistics from penality on the move. Part 2: Swedish Penal Aid
Descriptive statistics from penality on the move. Part 3: Danish Penal Aid
Please contact Kjersti Lohne for questions regarding this sub-project.
2 – Scandinavian prisons as development aid and foreign policy
This sub-project focuses on how Scandinavian prison practices are exported and implemented through development aid programmes and foreign policy. Based on case studies and extensive fieldwork, we aim to provide theoretical and empirical insights into how Scandinavian actors work towards reforming prison systems in countries with completely different tolerances, societal conditions, and political contexts. The project aims to contribute to an increased understanding of how the implementation of Scandinavian prison projects in foreign states unfolds in practice, as well as to examine why and in what manner this has become part of Scandinavian development aid and foreign policy.
Please contact Katrine Antonsen for questions regarding this sub-project or visit the project website.
3 – Scandinavian penal exports to international and global criminal justice
The sub-project examines Scandinavian criminal justice exports through multilateral organizations like the United Nations, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. We study how Scandinavian states align international criminal justice issues with their national and foreign policy interests. One study explores Norway’s efforts in governing fishing and other maritime resources and preventing illegal fishing through exporting technologies, supporting norms and providing legal advice through foreign aid. We ask how these aid activities inform theories on crime control beyond territorial states. Additionally, we study policing as penal aid and its shifting contributions from Scandinavia over the last three decades. The foreign aid dataset (WP1) allows for a comprehensive study of Scandinavian involvement in international policing efforts, contributing to theories on global security promotion and its connection with exporting control and punishment systems.
Please contact Randi Solhjell for questions regarding this sub-project.
Project activites
Follow the developments, highlights and daily activities of the JustExports team.
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JustExports at the ESC conference in Romania
JustExports was very well represented at this year’s European Society of Criminology’s Annual Conference, held in Bucharest, Romania on 11 – 14 September.
Katrine Antonsen presented a paper on ‘Scandinavian prison aid’, addressing Scandinavian funding to and involvement in prison projects abroad over the last three decades.
Kjersti Lohne presented work-in-progress: a co-written paper with project partner Randi Solhjell and Andreea Alewcu on “Policing the global borderlands: a mapping of Scandinavian police aid”. She also commented on two hot-off-the-press books: Mark Drumbl and Barbora Hola’s “Informers Up Close: Stories from Communist Prague”, and Leila Ullrich’s “Victims and Labour at the International Criminal Court: The Blame Cascade”.
We already look forward to presenting more findings from the JustExports project on next year’s ESC conference in Athens!
Presenting findings at EISA in France
Randi Solhjell presented two papers from the JustExports project at the annual European International Studies Association (EISA) conference in Lille, France, from 27-31 August 2024.
One paper was under the “small states, status seeking” section, led by Anders Wivel (University of Copenhagen), reflecting on Scandinavian states as ‘good punishers’ and how they use foreign aid to build status as moral entrepreneurs in combatting global crime and building criminal justice.
The second paper was presented in the “Blue Turn” section, for scholars engaged in global oceans and maritime concerns, led by Anja Menzel (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg). Solhjell discussed Norway’s ocean interest in foreign aid, particularly relating to fisheries crime.
Master's theses from the JustExports project
Hilde Skudal Egede-Nissen, Sofie Stensø, and Nora Hahn have written master's theses that delve into various aspects of Norwegian involvement in the realms of migration and international criminal justice.
Read more about their work under JustExports publications.
Event: Socio-legal approaches to the international legal profession
During an open lunch seminar, Nina Reiners and Kjersti Lohne discussed their work on international human rights and criminal law advocacy – and what political science and criminological perspectives bring to the table.
New publication!
In 'Penal Logics in International Politics. Nordic Foreign Policy on International Justice', Lohne offers an analysis of penal power when it is detached from its association with national justice and enters the realm of the international.
This chapter is part of the book 'Punishment in International Society: Norms, Justice, and Punitive Practices'.
To order it, visit the website of Oxford University Press.
You may also read more about the chapter under JustExports publications.
Opinion piece: Norway's newest war criminal
Dominic Ongwen is serving his sentence in Norway. In conjunction with the news, Lohne has co-authored an opinion piece in Aftenposten about the ICC, the transfer and its implications.
Read it on the website of Aftenposten.
Project leader talks about Palestine and Ukraine on NRK
After the Gaza-Israel conflict escalated, Lohne appeared on Studio2 at NRK to discuss the disparities in the International Criminal Court's handling of the Ukraine and Palestine conflicts.
Listen to the episode on the website of NRK.
Blog post: the export of an 'exceptional' penal system
What happens when one attempts to export Scandinavian penal practices to countries with completely different tolerances, societal conditions, and political contexts?
In a blog post drawing on JustExports data, Antonsen elaborates on how and why Scandinavian penal practices are “exported” to foreign countries through the international engagements of the Norwegian correctional services.
Read the blog post on the website of NSfK.
First book review of 'Nordic Criminal Justice in a Global Context'
The first book review of ‘Nordic Criminal Justice in a Global Context’ is out! And recommends the book ‘to anyone who deals with the phenomenon of Nordic criminal justice and the image and promotion of it’.
Read the full paper at the website of Taylor and Francis.
JustExports on EuroCrim 2023
The JustExports team presented two of our papers in progress at the 23rd Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology in Florence.
Presenting preliminary findings at NorDev 2023
What are criminal justice exports? Where do they travel to? And how are they justified? These were among the topics when we presented preliminary findings from the JustExports project at the 7th Nordic Development Research Conference.
Project leader comments the opening of ICPA on NRK
The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine (ICPA) officially opened on July 3, 2023. ICPA is embedded in Eurojust and located in The Hague. Its ambition is to effectively prepare and contribute to any future prosecutions of the crime of aggression.
Lohne was asked to comment on the opening during the morning show of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Watch the full interview on the website of NRK.
Interview about ICC's war crimes charges in Nettavisen
Lohne has been interviewed in a news article in Nettavisen. In the interview, she elaborates on the effects of the arrest warrant against Putin, today and during potential peace negotiations.
Read the full article on the website of Nettavisen.
Opinion piece in Aftenposten
How will the International Criminal Court manage its authority in an increasingly polarized world order? Lohne has written an opinion piece in Aftenposten about the meaning of the arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin.
Read the full text at the website of Aftenposten.
Podcast about Putin
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin. But is it possible to punish Putin for the misdeeds committed in Ukraine?
In the podcast «Det store bildet», Kjersti Lohne and Sofie Høgestøl discuss the International Criminal Court (ICC), its limitations and what it will take for Putin to be punished for the war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Read about their predictions in Research News (english).
Please welcome Randi Solhjell to the team
Please welcome Randi Solhjell – the newest addition to the JUSTEXPORTS team!
Randi will work for four years on the project as a postdoctoral research fellow. She will primarily focus on JUSTEXPORTS’ sub-project #3. Specifically, she will look at how Scandinavian diplomats and practitioners position themselves in international criminal justice, their ideas and ideals on a global stage and export of penal justice to countries in the Global South.
Randi has an extensive research background in both international relations and criminology. Randi has studied UN operations in contexts such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Chad, and Nordic efforts to promote the Women, peace and security agenda (UNSC 1325) in these contexts. Her PhD focused on expressions of statehood through negotiating and accessing various public goods in eastern DR Congo, resulting in the book Dimensions of African Statehood.
From her time at the Norwegian police university college, she taught and studied policing studies and has undertaken collaborative research on crime and crime prevention in Nordic countries on topics concerning countering violent extremism and policing hate crime.
We are very excited and proud to welcome Randi as part of our project team!
Interview about new book
Lohne has been interviewed by NordForsk about the recently published book 'Nordic Criminal Justice in a Global Context', which she co-authored.
In the interview, she elaborates on the Nordic countries' long-standing position as role models in international justice policy and suggests that recent global developments (including the war in Ukraine) have shaken and enabled discussions about Norway's foreign policy.
Read the full article at the website of Nordforsk.
Project leader goes on maternity leave
Project leader Kjersti Lohne will be on maternity leave from October 9 2022 to mid-July 2023. In her absence, please contact project assistant Katrine Antonsen at this email address for project inquiries.
Project leader debates academic freedom at Arendalsuka
Kjersti Lohne participated in a panel discussion at Norway's largest political festival.
The conversation addressed national challenges with regard to how money and politics may affect academic freedom.
The other speakers were Espen Nakstad (Norwegian Directorate of Health), Kari-Anne Jønnes (Standing Committee on Education and Research), Mari Sundli Tveit (Research Council of Norway), Margareth Hagen (University of Bergen), and Elise Waagen (Standing Committee on Education and Research).
Full event description can be found at the website of Arendalsuka.
Project leader interviewed on KRIMINOLOGENE
Project leader Kjersti Lohne is interviewed on the podcast KRIMINOLOGENE about criminology’s disciplinary boundaries, her fieldwork on Guantanamo Bay, and about the JUSTEXPORTS project – among other things.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcast.
Please welcome Katrine Antonsen to the team
Please welcome Katrine Antonsen – the newest addition to the JUSTEXPORTS team!
Katrine will work for 15 months on the project as research assistant. She will primarily focus on JUSTEXPORTS’ sub-project #1. Specifically, she will establish a database on Nordic criminal justice exports to foreign states, and conduct analyses of the nature, objectives and results of relevant projects.
After her MA in Criminology, Katrine has worked for the University of Cambridge and Wayback.
We are very excited and proud to welcome Katrine as part of our project team!
Lohne at Global Meeting on Law and Society
Lohne had three appearances at this summer’s Global Meeting on Law and Society:
1) She presented the JUSTEXPORT’s forthcoming chapter contribution: ‘Penal power and state logics in inter/national justice’ in a panel entitled Enforcing International Justice: Institutional Transformation, Normative Evolution.
2) She was discussant on the panel Retracing the Discursive and Material Roots of Global Penalty.
3) She was discussant on the panel The Consequences of Transnational Criminal Legal Ordering.
For more information about the event, visit the website of Law and Society.
Project leader appointed member of Human Rights Committee
Project leader Kjersti Lohne is appointed member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters’ Committee on Human Rights.
The group is committed to stay informed with regard to severe violations of human rights, in cases where it affects science or researchers. In particular, the committee will address imprisonment and torture of scholars. In collaboration with the network’s secretariat, which collaborates with Amnesty International, the Committee must ensure that each case is thoroughly investigated. In the event of a violation of a human right, the Committee is authorised to protest on behalf of the Academy.
Read more about the Committee at the website of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Project leader appointed full Professor
Project leader Kjersti Lohne is appointed Full Professor in Criminology.
Congratulations!
Project leader appointed member of the DNVA Committee
Project leader Kjersti Lohne is appointed member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters’ Science Advice Committee.
The Committe will contribute to developing mechanisms for scientific advice and work to provide a professional understanding of what scientific advice entails in a Norwegian context.
Read more about the Committee at the website of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Project leader is selected deputy leader of Young Academy of Norway
Project leader Kjersti Lohne is selected deputy leader of the Young Academy of Norway.
The Young Academy of Norway consists of talented, junior researchers from all disciplines with a demonstrated commitment to science policy and innovative research dissemination. Members have been selected through an application process involving a scientific review process followed by interviews and have membership for four years.
Together with leader Jonas Stein and general secretary Bjørn Kristian Danholt, she will be in charge of the day-to-day management of the organization in the year to come.
For more information about the work, visit the website of The Young Academy of Norway.
Project leader returns from maternity leave to start project
Project leader Kjersti Lohne returns from maternity leave to her new job as Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Oslo. The JUSTEXPORTS project will be a primary focus in the years to come!
