Cape Town - Home to drug smugglers, rapists and murderers, Norway’s Halden Prison, which is situated on the border with Sweden, is a facility that gives inmates apartment-style prisons and allows them to lock themselves in at night.
A prison cell at the facility is no ordinary one and is fitted with everyday appliances like a flatscreen TV, shower, a comfortable bed and fully fitted kitchen.
A prison in Norway...pic.twitter.com/4onyZoykBX
— Figen (@TheFigen) August 2, 2022
At Halden Prison, all prisoners have their own key to their cell, and prisoners get to choose when to lock themselves in.
According to the Sunday Today show, the idea and mantra at Halden prison is to turn criminals into good neighbours.
“We take the freedom from them, but when they are here, we try to help them to become better citizens,” said Halden Prison governor, Are Hoidal.
While servicing their time, prisoners have a usual work week, which gives them a sense of responsibility and routine. Prisoners will then get the opportunity to learn new skills such as graphic designing, restaurant prep as a chef’s assistant, art or mechanic, which could assist them in getting jobs once released.
This fam is not an airbnb, it's actually Halden Prison in Norway.
— private figure (@privatefigure_) August 31, 2020
PICTURES: COURTESY pic.twitter.com/Xc3JjQYjNe
The Guardian reported that Halden Prison is one of Norway’s highest-security jails and is the flagship of the Norwegian justice system, which has a no life sentence policy and stipulates a maximum term of 21 years.
These are pictures from Halden Prison in Norway. This is what a facility dedicated to treatment and rehabilitation looks like.
— John Pfaff (@JohnFPfaff) September 20, 2020
Calling any US prison “cushy” is just embracing cruelty and brutality and inhumanity. https://t.co/IFtaS7Yt3L pic.twitter.com/c3g9DRD9bx
“Everyone who is imprisoned inside Norwegian prisons will be released – maybe not Breivik, but everyone else will go back to society,” said Hoidal.
“We look at what kind of neighbour you want to have when they come out. If you stay in a box for a few years, then you are not a good person when you come out. If you treat them hard… well, we don't think that treating them hard will make them a better man,” he said.
Hoidal added that they don't think about revenge in the Norwegian prison system, and the focus is shifted towards rehabilitation.
IOL