The Success of Norwegian Prison Systems

Norwegian Parliament in Oslo, on Dec. 13, 2014. Terje Bendiksby/AFP via Getty Images

The Norwegian prison system is highly effective at rehabilitating offenders, with the country achieving one of the lowest recidivism rates globally.

Norwegian Correctional Services employ a prison system that is quite different to a lot of countries, emphasizing the future reintegration of prisoners and emphasising measures to ensure a smooth transition back into society.

In Norway, according to the University College of Norwegian Correctional Services, recidivism rates were down to 15 percent of offenders committing a new offence within two years of release in 2017. Comparatively, in Australia, during 2020-21, 45.1 percent of offenders who left the system in 2018-19 returned to jail within two years of release, and in the U.S. 44 percent of offenders were arrested within a year of release in 2018.

Success of Prisoner Rehabilitation in Norway

Criminologist and senior research fellow from the Australian National University Clarke Jones, PhD, told The Epoch Times that in Norway, offenders are allowed out to work during the day and can usually maintain employment. He said that they still have to return and be locked away at night, but their main contact with society is maintained.

However, the Senior Advisor of the Directorate for Norwegian Correctional Services Communication staff, Marianne Endresen said, in an email to the Epoch Times, that this is more the exception than the rule.

“Maintaining the opportunity to go to work during the sentence can exceptionally be granted if the sentence is served in a prison with a low security level or you have been given permission to complete the sentence with electronic monitoring,” Endresen said,

“Inmates in Norwegian prisons therefore usually do not have the opportunity to leave the prison area to continue their work outside the prison, and it is almost never possible if you are serving time in a high-security prison.”

“But within the prison walls, the Correctional Service wants to offer the opportunity for relevant work training, such as carpentry, mechanics, hairdressing, music production etc as part of the rehabilitation process.”

Jones said that offenders in Norway are still at a loss of liberty, and they are punished through this loss of liberty as well as through the offense being put on their record, but they maintain their connection to society, which is crucial.

“The punishment is the restriction of liberty only,” said Endresen. She said that offenders maintain the same rights as every citizen that lives in Norway.

Endresen said that the vision of the Norwegian Correctional Service is “Punishment that makes a difference.” She said that the service’s social mission is to execute remand in custody—imprisonment until bail hearing, trial sentencing, etc.— and penal sanctions—criminal punishment— in a manner that satisfies society and stops criminal offences.

“A system must be in place that allows offenders to change their pattern of criminal behaviour,” Endresen said.

“For the individual, execution of the sentence can result in changes to various factors, such as negative behaviour, patterns of behaviour, attitudes and mindset. The change will have positive consequences for the convicted person.”

Jones said that offenders in Norway are also allowed intimate contact with their romantic partners, and the same is true for inmates in the Philippines, who are permitted conjugal visits. He said that this allowance has a great bearing on the level of tension within a prison.

“Norway still has high security facilities for offenders that are problematic to themselves, or a danger to staff or a danger to other offenders. So, they still recognize that some offenders are very difficult to deal with.”

“But in general, that’s a very open prison system. And I think that’s highly successful and that’s reflected in the low recidivism rates,” he said.

Rates of Recidivism

Endresen said that it should be noted that the topic of recidivism is controversial since method choices and variables may majorly impact the result.

“The fact that different countries have different approaches to some types of crimes will also have impact on the recidivism rate,” she said.

“For example, in some jurisdictions it is common to be incarcerated for speeding, while other countries will convict the offender to for example community sentence or home detention with or without electronic monitoring.”

A general view of barb wire at the former Reading prison building in Reading, England on Sept. 1, 2016. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Principle of Normality

Endresen said that the principle of normality conveys that life in prison should resemble the person’s life outside as much as possible.

“Offenders are seen as citizens, with the same individual rights as other citizens except the right to liberty,” he said.

“Thus, inmates retain right of access to society in terms of voting rights, media access, organizational rights; access to public services like health, school, social benefits, etc.

“This also includes the right to execute basic elements of a private life in terms of family life and religion.”

Endresen said that the possibility to implement the principle of normality is of course limited by security reasons, order in the institution, and personnel, infrastructural and financial resources, but the basic principle is there. She said that any derivation from the principle would need to be based on argumentation.

“You need a reason to deny a sentenced offender his rights, not to grant them.”

Endresen said that the principle of normality could also be appreciated as a measure to ensure safer release. She said that it should be easier for offenders to transition from imprisonment to freedom, when there is a smaller difference between life inside and outside of prison.

“In accordance with the principle of normality, progression through a sentence should be aimed as much as possible at returning to the community. The more closed a system is, the harder it will be to return to freedom,” she said.

She noted that the offender will gradually proceed towards release from high security prisons to lower-security prisons and possibly through halfway houses. 

“Release on license is stimulated and the Correctional Service will use their discretionary powers to arrange for a process where serving the sentence is adjusted to individual risks, needs and resources.”

Endresen said that the principle of normality supports executing sentences with a humane approach. She said that the penalty would be felt as a penalty, but it will be executed in a way that reduces the negative impact that incarceration can have.

“The principle of normality has had a broad political support in Norway, under different governments.”

Import Model

Endresen said that the Norwegian Correctional Service is designed around “the import model'.

“This means that prisons do not have their own staff delivering, for example clerical, medical, educational, employment, social or library services. These services are imported from the local community,” she said.

“For example: Teachers who teach in prisons are paid and hired by the local school authorities, not the Correctional Service.”

“The responsibility of the Correctional Service in providing these types of services is regulated through the Execution of Sentences Act § 4 (Administrative cooperation).”

Endresen said that based on the import model, the authorities, which help people outside of prisons, are also responsible for helping the people inside of prisons.

“When an inmate is released, the responsibility of the Correctional Service is transferred to the municipality in which the person lives.”

“The import model ensures a better continuity in the deliverance of services, as the offender will have had the opportunity to establish contact with the relevant institutions during his time in prison.”

“As a general notion, the Correctional Service in many ways is a “mirror” of society as such. The close cooperation with public service providers is possible due to the public welfare model in Norway.”

A general view of barb wire at the former Reading prison building in Reading, England on Sept. 1, 2016. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Importance of Maintaining Identity

Clarke said that one of the things that he noticed in Norwegian prison systems is the preservation of a person’s sense of identity when they go inside a system.

He said that rehabilitation is more successful when prisoners can maintain family contact or contact with their own children and when it’s not the shock and awe of going into a system.

“When we incarcerate in Australia or in the US, you go in, you’re stripped of identity, you become a number, you’re thrown into a cell, and you’re not released,” Clarke said.

“It’s very hard to see your family, very hard to move, remain in contact with your family. You’re left idle with very little to do. You’re not really kept occupied. It’s a very, very boring and mindless thing to have to be incarcerated.”

“I don’t mean we should get offenders comfy couches and cushions and flat screen TVs,” he said. “But the environment in which they’re in will determine the success of the type of regime or the type of prison or jail regime.”

Maintaining a Sense of Community

Clarke said that maintaining a sense of community, keeps inmates active inside and helps them learn new trades and skills, so that when they are released, they are more likely or able to reintegrate into society and get a job.

He said that in Norway offenders are allowed back out into society and of course, if they do the wrong thing, then they are be punished accordingly, but inmates are given a level of trust.

“They maintain their identity, they maintain their occupation, not always but mostly they maintain an occupation and once again, they maintain that family contact.”

He said that there is also a level of community tolerance because the community understands that with this incarceration model, people are still safe.

“Obviously, serial sex offenders will be dealt with differently. They would have to undergo, I would imagine, fairly intensive type programs and those sorts of situations.”

“So, they still address those serious offenders, but there’s less use of incarceration than what we would have in a lot of the western systems.”

A general view through the bars of Birmingham Prison in Winson Green in Birmingham, England, on Aug. 20, 2018. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Security

Endresen said that the security “recipe” used by the Norwegian Correctional Service consists of constantly progressing, fixed, and organizational means. She said that the service puts a lot of emphasis on properly training their staff, with recruits undergoing a two-year education, in which consciousness about ethics, values and attitudes plays a central role.

“Establishing a respectful relation to the inmates is also basic for the risk assessment and is part of the dynamic security of the prison. Compared to many other countries, we also have a high ratio of staff.”

“Every inmate in a Norwegian prison is assigned a contact officer, who will have a special responsibility for guiding and advising that particular inmate.”

Endresen said that it’s important to note that the concept of reintegration is present throughout the sentence. Therefore, the highly qualified prison officers, workshop overseers, reintegration coordinators and probation office staff etc. all play an important role in the process of reintegration.

“It is important to note, however that dynamic security alone is not sufficient to ensure a healthy and safe prison environment.”

“Dynamic security must be backed by a serious disciplinary code for dealing with bad behavior, and sanctions must be a part of the system.”

“The Norwegian Correctional Service considers each case individually and takes into account a number of factors.”

Endresen said that when a convicted person arrives at the prison, it’s pertinent to consider the nature of the offence, the sentence length, previously committed crimes, behaviour during previous imprisonment and other apt information.

“Similar evaluations are also carried out in several other contexts, for example, in relation to leave, release on parole, escorted leave etc, ” she said.

Rehabilitation Programs

Endresen said that the Norwegian Correctional Service offers a wide range of programs with themes such as substance abuse, violence, mental health, everyday skills, and family and relationships.

“We have programs specifically designed for women or men, but none specifically designed for young adults. But the programs are designed in such a way that you can benefit from them regardless of age.”

She said that offenders also have the opportunity to study and that in every prison in Norway, it’s possible to attend education and other activities. 

“Inmates have the same rights to education and training as other Norwegian citizens.”

Endresen said that convicted individuals have a duty to actively participate during the execution of a sentence and special criminal sanctions.

“The duty to take an active part may include work, service beneficial to the community, training, programmes or other measures that are likely to counteract new criminality.”

She said that this duty doesn’t apply to individuals remanded in custody and may cease in the event of illness or disability.

“The Country Governor in Vestland holds the position as the national executive agency for education and training of persons that are under the supervision of the criminal services.”

Endresen said that the county authorities are academically and administratively responsible for supplying education in prisons, while the local upper secondary schools are practically responsible for teaching the prisoners.