The Norwegian penal system has been revered for its pioneering methods in housing criminals on their Scandinavian soil. Norway (in an innovative manner) had decided that rehabilitation, rather than penalization, should follow incarceration. Rather than focus on depriving the criminal of as much freedom as possible, the Norwegian prison system puts emphasis on providing its residents with the proper skills and assets that they will need upon release. Known by some as “Restorative Justice”, this approach has been practiced by the nation for quite some time, and time has proven that with the proper circumstances and the right progressive image, such a monumental approach towards the treatment of society’s taboos is nothing short of effective. Seen by many as the proper way to address society’s “misfits”, the Norwegian penal system has proven itself to be adept in establishing a prison sub-culture that is deemed unique by all standards when viewed from the perspectives of those that reside outside of the Scandinavian region.

In Norway, a certain set of circumstances seem to permit the nation to exercise such different methods of incarcerating prisoners. According to Business Insider’s “Why Norway’s Prison System is So Successful?”, by Christina Sterbenz, it was estimated that by August 2014, the nation’s prison population was fewer than 4000, thus, making its incarceration rate revolve around 75 per 100,000, while the U.S’s rotates around 707. Additionally, the crime rate in Norway is relatively low, with their crimes mostly centering on petty thefts; although counts of drug trafficking have been jotted down. As of the prison system, Sterbenz reported that it yields one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world, meaning that prisoners that are released are often not expected to return. The life sentence has been banned for unnecessary cruelty and was instead replaced with a maximum sentence of 21 years.  With such facts in mind, it is self-evident that the penal system is doing something right.

Despite what has been stated, Norway is well known for the dormitory and activities they offer their locked members of society. To observe the prison culture in Norway, let us look at Bastoy Prison, a popular facility that is located on Bastoy Island.  A normal cell, if we can call it that, acts more as a house and is relatively bigger and better equipped than the average apartment in the US. In these complexes, pod communities exist and convicts have access to television, bed, furniture, showers, bathrooms, kitchens, computers, civilian clothes, customized shoes, kitchen tools, construction tools, and even the internet. In addition, prisoners are given the complete freedom to explore their surroundings and engage in different activities. These activities often include soccer, volleyball, swimming, biking, weight lifting, skiing, tennis, and many more. To encourage entrepreneurship and self-dependency, prisoners are to work during the days doing such things as farming, cattle ranching, cutting wood, bike repairing, laundry, mechanics, music production, and many other lines of work. Guards are sometimes seen helping out their detainees and in some occasions, their uniforms are discarded for regular clothes. In addition, activities and allowances are provided for the prisoners for their own spending.

These views are held with dubious regards by foreign entities. In other words, those that do not reside in Norway find the prison situation to be extremely unusual and lenient towards the prisoners themselves. The Norwegians, on the other hand, believe that men and women should not be branded by their past behaviors and current vices, but should be taken into treatment and molded into an efficient member of society. A recent example of how the Norwegians differ in terms of how they view criminals is the public reaction towards the sentencing of whom many describe as Norway’s most lethal criminal. According to the New York Time’s “Norway Mass Killer Gets the Maximum: 21 Years” by Mark Lewis and Sarah Lyall, Anders Breivik, a man convicted of killing 77 people during the 2011 Norway attacks, was sentenced by court to spend 21 years in incarceration after he pled guilty. Despite the fact that he will most likely spend more than 21 years in jail, the sentence itself displays Norway’s typical attitude towards convicts.

Upon the news of the sentencing, many voices, specifically Americans, expressed anger towards the lenient approach to apprehend Breivik; if the same crime was committed in any other nation, the death sentence would probably be sought. However, when the parents of the victims were interviewed, the Norwegian voices resonated with slight mercy as the parents and surviving victims displayed the generalized Norwegian notion over the treatment of criminals.

Another example of the contrast in views the Norwegians and the rest of the world have concerning prisoners is James Conway’s trip to Halden Prison. According to Business Insider’s “An American Warden Visited a Norwegian Prison, And He Couldn’t Believe What He Saw” by Christina Sterbenz, James Conway, a veteran warden of the Attica Correctional Facility in New York, was given the opportunity to visit Halden Prison in Norway. Unsurprisingly, the ex-warden of Attica (one of America’s most violent prisons) who shared little to no pity towards criminals, was confused (yet amazed) by the way the prisoners were treated. At one point he found it uncomfortable when he was near a prisoner that was cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife. Conway was also shown the many accommodations that the prison has to offer to its inhabitants, including videogames, a recording studio, television, dartboards, garage tools, and interior/exterior locks. When he heard about the Norwegian philosophy regarding rehabilitation over deprivation, Conway found the prison progressive program to be a little bit over the top, but nevertheless, he was extremely impressed and amazed by such sights.

Overall, the prison system in Norway has ushered in many new aspects on how to deal with the “defects” of society. From incredible housing, humane treatment, to the abundance of elevating programs, the Norwegian prison system acts like no other and is currently harboring a philosophical finding on crime that other countries should try to grasp. Through statistical and analytical backing, their prisons are, indeed, not a hard knock life.