The Norwegian Prison Model
Can this approach that emphasizes dignity and respect work in the U.S.?
Dignity and respect? In our criminal justice system? In the U.S. in general? More and more these days, I’m appalled by this country’s seemingly increased tolerance for willful ignorance and cruelty, but I’m not ready to give up yet. And neither are others.
In recent years, some state officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom of California, have been advocating for U.S. prisons and jails to seriously consider adopting principles of Norway’s prison model that focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration of incarcerated individuals.
The United States has the largest prison population in the world, accounting for 25% of the world’s prisoners, over 2 million. That’s not counting the 3.7 million adults under community supervision (or community corrections) such as probation and parole. The U.S. recidivism rate—those who reenter prison within their first year out—is roughly 44%.
Norway on the other hand, has the lowest incarceration rate in the world and the recidivism rate after two years, is 20%. After five years, the rate is only 25%. It wasn’t always this way. In the 1990s, the Scandinavian county had a 70% recidivism rate and a high crime rate. As a nation, they made the bold step to overhaul its prison system.
Realizing that harsh sentences and punishments like solitary confinement were not solutions, the country shifted its focus toward rehabilitation and reintegration, and this model is now being studied by other countries, including the U.S. in states such as Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Dakota, Washington, and California.
Norway has 57 prisons with a total of 3,600 cells, which tend to be more dorm-like, with private bathrooms, a television, and a large window. They make up a system of community-based facilities that have features such as a fitness center, family center, school, library, and exercise fields. Even the interior paint colors are warm and bright—ones that help evoke a sense of peace, calm, and introspection. They are permitted to wear their own clothing and cook their own food.
Fifty-seven prisons may sound like a lot for a country of its size, but the reason for this is so its patients (yes, not prisoners, inmates, convicts, or criminals) are close to their families and friends—the very people who will continue to be their support system when they reenter society.
Consider this for example: in the U.S., women are the fastest growing prison population, particularly among Black women. A staggering 75% of incarcerated women are mothers, two-thirds of these children are under 18. And because of the limited number of women’s prisons, they’re forced to live hundreds of miles from their families. This is extremely detrimental to these families, producing negative impacts both on the woman’s rehabilitation and emotional health, and her reintegration success once released.
Sentences in Norway are also very different. The maximum sentence is 21 years, although recently they have reserved up to 30 years for those convicted of genocide and other war crimes. Sixty-percent of sentences are less than 3 months and nearly 90% of sentences are less than a year. Individuals are given quality psychiatric and physical care, attend schools, learn new skills, regularly see their families, and participate in extra curricular activities such as yoga. Even prison guards participate alongside them which helps promote healthy and productive relationships within the facility. Guards themselves are highly trained, undergoing two years of academy and on-the-job training before certification. What’s more, their shifts overlap an hour in order to communicate with incoming staff about those in their care.
Norway has understood that if you want people to leave prison better people, this is how you have to do it. They accepted it would be an investment and yes, while they spend $93,000 each year per prisoner, their prison population in 2022 was 3,690.
They’ve invested in these human beings by treating them as human beings.
Norway’s crime rate has also plummeted and the country is known for being one of the safest countries in the world. Moreover, Norway is ranked as one of the top ten happiest countries in the world.
Gosh darn, that socialism.
Can this model work in the U.S.?
Obviously, our two countries are vastly different; that doesn’t mean, however, the philosophy has to be different. The model has shown great promise on smaller scales in the few states that have implemented pilot programs. In Pennsylvania, the State Correction Institution Chester (SCI Chester), a medium-security program outside Philadelphia began a program using the model’s principles and foundations in 2018, and so far, the data has shown positive results among participating inmates and staff, and according to a July 2023 article, there have been no acts of violence within the program.
Participants, including those serving life, go work, attend school, and/or receive rehabilitative treatment. They also participate in a grocery program that permits them to purchase fresh foods, working directly with staff. Correctional officers receive a range of training and the ratio of staff to participants is 1:8, not the average of 1:128.
It isn’t just the incarcerated individuals who benefit, but correctional officers themselves experience lower rates of violence, trauma, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Families of these individuals—both inmates and staff—benefit, as does the surrounding community.
Don’t we want better people coming out prison and into our shared communities?
In Oregon, the incarcerated individuals are also referred to as residents or patients and staff are trained in ways to listen, de-escalation, and empathize. They socialize with the residents. They communicate in healthy ways. One correctional officer who worked as a captain in the program is now working to promote the program on a larger scale. “This can absolutely go nationwide,” he said.
I don’t think he’s wrong, but it’s going to take a complete overhaul of not just corrections, but our entire criminal justice system that boasts a plethora of systematic failures from the ground up. It will require a buy in from citizens as well, and a massive cultural shift away from our country’s obsession with punishment.