According to the jury's motivation, Nagin and Petersilia's work has contributed to a change in the way prisons and probation are used, based on evidence of what works - and what doesn't. 

Petersilia's research on repeat offenders has helped the US to multiply its efforts to support ex-prisoners during the high-risk period that occurs immediately after they are released from prison, often with no home or job to go to.

Nagin's evidence of the negative impact that prisons can have on prisoners has helped reduce the number of people in prison for the for the first time in four decades in the United States, which has the prison population in the world. He has presented the rationale and incentives for investment in policing instead of prisons.

The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in the City Hall Stockholm Criminology Symposium 2014, organized by the Swedish Crime Prevention Council.

About the "
" Award The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is an international award established with the support of the Ministry of Justice and the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. It is awarded annually, with a prize of one million kronor, in conjunction with the Stockholm Criminology Symposium organized by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.

The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in criminological research or for the practical application of research findings regarding crime prevention and the promotion of human rights.

The award aims to promote:
– increased knowledge regarding the causes of crime at the individual and structural levels
– more effective and humane public policies regarding the treatment of offenders
– increased knowledge of alternative crime prevention measures, both within the judicial system and civil society
– practices for assisting crime victims
– improved methods for reducing abuse of authority within the judicial system on a global scale.

The award was presented for the first time at City Hall in June 2006, with the Jerry Lee Foundation as the original sponsor.

The Stockholm Prize in Criminology, SU