Norway’s Halden prison is calm, cushy and quiet compared with Britain's crammed prisons, and is at the core of the world’s best incarceration system when it comes to stopping people from committing crime, writes Ian Birrell
Norway’s Halden prison is calm, cushy and quiet compared with Britain's crammed prisons, and is at the core of the world’s best incarceration system when it comes to stopping people from committing crime, writes Ian Birrell
Halden cost £138m to build, opened 14 years ago and has won design awards for its low-slung minimalist style, often compared with a chic hotel. Each cell has its own toilet and shower, along with a desk, flat-screen television, fridge, and view over the blueberry woods that hide thick walls.. And it is at the core of the world’s best incarceration system when it comes to stopping people from committing crime.
Tootie, 30, typifies their approach as he progresses along the path to freedom. We met in Oslo where he is studying for a college-style diploma and living in a halfway house, part of the preparation for re-entry to society, with one year still to serve. Under this liberal regime, he was allowed into a pub to watch his team Manchester United win the FA Cup. But he did not drink, since he knew that he might be tested on his return – and if he failed, he could be sent back to a maximum-security prison.
She is concluding her sentence in a small open prison holding only 18 inmates. “I am not a very patient person, but I’ve learned to be patient in prison. There are no fences. But I know that if I escape, if I don’t follow the rules, I might go straight to high security. There are very few escapes.”Synove Nygaard Andersen, a sociologist at the University of Oslo, said it was easy to be fooled by the nice buildings, facilities and grounds.
Now it has the world’s lowest rate of recidivism, with fewer than one in five people re-offending within two years – in contrast with Britain, which has seen its prison population almost double over this time as politicians demand longer sentences. “Norwegian prisons were much like those in Britain 30 years ago. It was the same system. But what is the point of punishing people when it’s just for revenge?” said Nilsen. “The average sentence is three and a half months,[ so many are soon back in society.
“I do not say that we should not punish people. The issue is how to respond to crime for the benefit of all society.”
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