Pennsylvania is emerging as a proving ground for preparing people in prison to rejoin society, per a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice.

Why it matters: Early results from a Philly-area pilot — the "Little Scandinavia" community-style living unit that launched in 2022 in Chester — show sharply lower instances of violence.

• The program paves the way for other states to adopt rehabilitation-focused models of incarceration.

State of play: Several states have implemented reforms focused less on punishment, adding programs that have improved prison conditions, eased tensions between guards and prisoners and equipped incarcerated people with life skills.

• But the Center cautions that more buy-in is needed from corrections officials across the country, estimating more than 70% of the people released from prison in 2022 will be rearrested by 2027.

The big picture: Pennsylvania's recidivism rate was 57% in 2025, meaning that more than half of people released from prison returned within three years — down from 65% in 2020, per state data.

• Meanwhile, Philly's prison system has been under court oversight for more than three decades after several lawsuits exposed dangerous and deplorable conditions inside its facilities, including inmate deaths from violence, drug overdoses and inadequate care.
• The city boosted staffing levels after being held in contempt and ordered to set aside $25 million for reforms, and it is also pushing to establish a prison oversight board. 

Driving the news: The Little Scandinavia project has been so successful at reducing violence and misconduct that it's expanding to three more facilities, Drexel criminology professor Jordan Hyatt tells Axios.

• Researchers are still collecting data and will produce a final report about the outcomes, hoping it encourages other states — and even cities like Philly — to replicate similar reforms.

What they're saying: "It's an almost unprecedented opportunity to have access and rethink and collaborate in a space that's been … inherently resistant to change," says Hyatt, whose team includes researchers from UPenn, Villanova and the University of Oslo.

Catch up quick: Pennsylvania corrections officials traveled to Norway, Denmark and Sweden in 2019 to understand those countries' prison systems.

• The big takeaway: Prisons in the U.S. look nothing like life on the outside, making it harder for people to adjust when they're released.
• The officials brought those findings back home and incorporated them into renovations of the Chester housing unit.
• The first prisoners moved into the 64-person unit the next year, though it officially opened in 2022, after the pandemic delayed its rollout.

How it works: Little Scandinavia looks like a modern college dorm with all the amenities: plush furniture, exercise machines, plants, a fish tank, a fully stocked kitchen and outdoor green spaces.

• Prisoners can order their own groceries, listen to music, play games, check email on tablets — and some can even foster pets — all things they'd normally be free to do in society.

The bottom line: The Center says it hopes more corrections officials realize an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach" hasn't solved America's incarceration crisis.

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March Madness rolls into Philadelphia this weekend with big matchups.

Why it matters: The NCAA men's basketball tourney is one of the biggest sporting events in Philly — in a year that's packed with them — and tickets are still up for grabs.

State of play: Xfinity Mobile Arena hosts four first-round games on Friday across two sessions and a pair of second-round games on Sunday.

🍿 1 free thing: Watch open team practices at the arena from 11am-4:55pm today, which will feature the University of Virginia and the University of Connecticut.

Between the lines: The tourney is poised to bring big crowds to the city — an estimated 60,000 visitors — that could boost restaurants, hotels and bars.

Context: This marks the 29th NCAA basketball tournament Philly has hosted.

• The last time it was here: 2022.

Friday: Round of 64

First session:

• 1:50pm tipoff: Wright State (14) vs. Virginia (3)
• 4:25pm: Miami (Ohio) (11) vs. University of Tennessee (6)
• Tickets: $50+ (as of Wednesday)

Second session

• 7:25pm: University of Central Florida (10) vs. UCLA (7)
• 10pm: Furman University (15) vs. UConn (2)
• Tickets: $48+

Sunday: Round of 32

• Times and matchups of the two games are TBD.
• Tickets: $145+

Plus: Tickets to access all the games start at $345+

• And premium packages — think: suites, lofts and "Club Loge" seating — run $690-$26,780.

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😂 Philly native Kevin Hart is crying foul over a less-than-accurate wax figure of himself that recently debuted at a Tennessee museum.

💰 The local housing authority scooped up a new apartment building with 200 units in North Philly for $49 million as the agency seeks to expand its portfolio amid an affordable housing shortage. (Inquirer 🔒)

🐘 Lucy the Elephant — the longtime Margate, New Jersey, landmark — is getting a new lease on life after securing federal funding and raising enough private donations for much-needed renovations.

• Repairs to the more than 140-year-old Shore attraction will coincide with plans for a new welcome center, both of which should be finished by summer 2027. (nj.com)

♻️ Get into the swing of spring cleaning at this community swap and resource exchange tonight at CultureWorks in Center City from 5-8pm. Bring items you no longer need, browse what others are offering, and connect with like-minded creatives. Register online.

• Ideas for the swap: Art supplies, craft materials, home goods, clothing, books, records, curios and office supplies.

🗣️ Philly GRIT showcases a trio of performances at Theatre Exile in South Philly, which include a comedic lecture on tobacco and a Philly-based drag performance. Runs through March 29.

• Tickets: $30-$35

🫟 The Penn Museum's annual Holi festival on Saturday will include storytelling, music, dance performances and color throw. Runs 10am-4pm.

• Tickets: $14-$23; kids 5 and younger are free

More events

The median rent throughout the Philadelphia region rose 1% over the past year and stood at $1,539 in February, per an analysis from Apartment List.

The big picture: Housing is unaffordable for many, and median rents are up roughly 23% throughout our four-state metro from the start of the pandemic in 2020.

• Yes, but: Renting is still cheaper than buying a home in the Philly metro.

A cheaper option: In Philly proper, the median rent is lower, at $1,386, and rose only 0.3% over last year, according to the rental site.

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