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"We don't look at our inmates as criminals, but rather as regular people who have committed a crime." This quote by a Norwegian prison official stood out during the author's recent visit to a correctional facility there.
Throughout the system, from the high-security Halden prison to a low-security facility on an island to a halfway house (Norway's last step in reintegration), this philosophy permeates Norwegian operations.
Though many in the U.S. who will read this might discount this as naive, and whether their philosophies would work domestically is something that remains to be seen, it certainly seems to work for the Norwegians.
"I think the attitudes among our employees and our ethic standards are very good," explains Andreas Skulberg, who stated the quote above. He serves as deputy director general of the Correctional Services Department, Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police.
The reason for that, he explains, is that the syllabus, which lasts two years, is a mixture of on-the-job and theoretical training. To work with criminals is on the same complexity level as working with patients. "You have to relate with people, many [of whom] have had a troublesome life or are physically ill, so the people dealing with these inmates should have a high level of training."
High Security, Norwegian Style
Halden Prison is a facility that could be located, at least from the outside, anywhere in the U.S. ft has a six-meter (about 19 feet) high perimeter wall and all the high-tech security bells and whistles. There is no strolling through the gates here, unlike other "open" prisons in Norway and other European countries.
Inside, however, Halden has been compared to a luxury hotel. That comparison, which was made in Time magazine (by a reporter with no experience in prisons), is unfair, in this writer's opinion. Sure, the cells have flat screen TVs and other modern amenities, but if you are building a new prison, of course you're not going to use outdated technology. You're going to use the latest and greatest, so the things you install are reliable and up to date.
Rest assured, Halden Prison is still a prison. But the Dutch approach is not to deny any other human rights other than the freedom that has been...