The James Cook Research Fellow in Social Science at the Victoria University Institute of Criminology has been comparing the penal systems of New Zealand, Australia, and England with Norway, Sweden and Finland, and has found "huge differences" in the systems.
He spoke of his research during a presentation at the Dunedin Howard League for Penal Reform at the Savoy this week.
"I've spent six months behind bars in the last five years, but it feels as if I've done a long sentence."
His research had found prisoners in Scandinavia had more personal space, better conditions within the rooms and the prison environment was more relaxed than for their counterparts in New Zealand, Australia and England.
"It's more humane. Relationships between inmates and staff are much friendlier and relaxed."
Despite arguments that prisons with hotel-esque facilities encouraged criminals to reoffend, Prof Pratt did not agree they were an incentive to commit crime. Based on his research in Scandinavia, he found prison was still a place Scandinavians did not want to be.
"They want to go home. They want to be free from any involvement in the penal system.
"The more you treat prisoners like human beings and don't further shut them out of society, the more likely it is they are going to respond to you like human beings, and be more interested in rehabilitation.
"Norway has a remarkably low rate of reconviction. It's only 20% there, whereas in New Zealand, it's 45%."
While he hoped he would never have to serve time, he said if he did, he would want to serve it in a Scandinavian prison.
"I would like to think I could do my time with ease and be a lot less ruined if I did my sentence in Norway."
Prof Pratt's research will be complete in March next year, and it was hoped his findings would be published in a book in November next year, titled Contrasts in Punishment - An Explanation of Anglophone Excess and Nordic Exceptionalism.
