Halden Prison Explained

Prison Name:Halden Prison
Location:Halden, Norway
Status:Operational
Classification:Maximum
Capacity:248–252
Population:251
Populationdate:2015
Managed By:Norwegian Correctional Service
Governor:Are Høidal
Website:www.haldenfengsel.no

Halden Prison (Norwegian: Halden fengsel) is a maximum-security prison in Halden, Norway. It has three main units and has no conventional security devices. The third-largest prison in Norway, it was established in 2010 with a focus on rehabilitation; its design simulates life outside the prison. Among other activities, sports and music are available to the prisoners, who interact with the unarmed staff to create a sense of community. Praised for its humane conditions, Halden Prison has received the Arnstein Arneberg Award for its interior design in 2010 and been the subject of a documentary, but has also received criticism for being too liberal.

Overview

Located in Halden, Østfold, Norway, Halden Prison was built for over 10 years at a cost of 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($252 million/£138 million/€150 million). The prison received its first inmates on March 1, 2010[1] and was officially opened on April 8 by the Norwegian King Harald V.[2] It is Norway's second-largest prison with a capacity of 248–252 prisoners and a site of .[3]

As a maximum-security prison,[4] it hosts both dangerous and highly dangerous criminals,[5] such as rapists, murderers, and drug dealers.[6] They compose half of the population, while a third of the residents are drug offenders. Sex offenders, who may face violence from other inmates, and prisoners who require close psychiatric or medical supervision, are located in Unit A, a restrictive and separated area.[6] There is also a special unit (C8) focused on addiction recovery. Most inmates live in Units B and C, which are freer and have mixed cell blocks. Halden Prison receives both domestic and international criminals; as only around three-fifths of the prisoners are Norwegians (as of 2015), both Norwegian and English are used, and the prison has English teachers.[6] However, fluency in Norwegian is a requirement to live in C8, because group and individual counseling is conducted in Norwegian.

There are no conventional security devices, such as barbed tape, electric fences, towers, or snipers.[7] However, there is safety glass,[8] a concrete and steel wall,[4] [8] and a system of tunnels which guards use to walk through the prison.[4] Although there are surveillance cameras on the prison grounds, they are not present in the cells, the cell hallways, the common rooms, the classrooms, and most of the workshops.[7] While there is little violence reported, almost exclusively in Unit A, officers try to prevent it.[7] If two inmates have a dispute, they engage in a mediation session under staff supervision.[7] If mediation fails, repeated misbehavior or rule violations are punished with cell confinement or prison transference.[7] [9]

Design

The prison was designed by the Danish group Erik Møller Architects and the Norwegian HLM Arkitektur AS,[10] [11] selected in a competition held by the Department of Justice and the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property to determine the designers of the building.[7] [12]

With a focus on rehabilitation, it was designed to simulate a village so that the prisoners can consider themselves part of society.[4] The government believes that "the smaller the difference between life inside and outside the prison, the easier the transition from prison to freedom."[4] Interiors are painted and designed to demarcate the differences between home, school, and the workplace.[13] In designing the prison's interiors, the architects tried to separate the internal buildings to have prisoners walking, to strengthen their bond with the outside world.[7] The hallways are tiled with Moroccan tiles or have large-scale photographs, such as daffodils or Parisian streets.[6]

Exteriors are composed of bricks, galvanized steel, and larch wood, instead of concrete.[4] The black and red kiln-fired bricks were inspired by the trees, mosses, and bedrock of the surroundings.[7] Natural life, including birch, blueberry, and pine trees, also contribute to rehabilitation.[7] [9] The steel, a "hard" material, symbolizes detention, while the larch, a "soft" material, stands for rehabilitation and growth.[7] The yard walls and toilet doors are decorated by a graffiti painting by the Norwegian artist Dolk,[12] which was ordered by the prison from its 6 million kroner ($1 million/£640,000) art budget.[6] [4]

All aspects of the prison's design aim to avoid psychological pressures, conflicts, and interpersonal friction.[7] Despite this, the prison wall was designed for security.[7] As the wall is visible everywhere, it was seen as a "symbol and an instrument" of "[the prisoners'] punishment, taking away their freedom", according to Gudrun Molden, one of its architects.[7]

Prison life

Each prison cell is and has a flat-screen television, desk, mini-fridge, toilet with shower, and unbarred vertical window that lets in more light.[3] [6] [9] Every 10–12 cells share a common area with a kitchen and a living room;[3] [14] the kitchen has stainless steel silverware, porcelain plates, and a dining table, and the living room has a modular couch and a video game system.[7] [14] [15] While the prison provides food, the prisoners can also buy ingredients at its grocery shop and cook their own meals.[7] [6] Inmates are locked in their cells twelve hours a day, but they are encouraged to maximize their time outside.[4] [9] Prisoners have an incentive of 53 kroner ($9/£5.60) a day to leave their cells.[6] [16] Are Høidal, the prison's governor, stated that the fewer activities the prisoners have, the more aggressive they become.[6] There is an "Activities House",[8] and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, there are practices on jogging trails and a football field, while wood working, cooking, and music classes are also offered.[3] [4] At the mixing studio, the inmates may record music and a monthly program broadcast by the local radio station.[6] A library with books, magazines, CDs and DVDs; a gym with a rock-climbing wall; and a chapel are also available.[9] [15] [17] Prisoners even receive questionnaires asking how their prison experience can be improved.[3]

Inmates are allowed to receive their families, partners, or friends privately twice a week for two hours.[18] Individual rooms containing a sofa, sink, and cupboard with sheets, towels, and condoms are available for single-person visits.[18] For those with families, a larger room with toys and baby-changing facilities is available.[18] Inmates are checked after visits, and if illegal items are found, prisoners can lose their rights to private visits.[18] This right is denied to high risk criminals and visitors with histories of drug offenses.[18] There is also a separated, chalet-style house where prisoners can receive visits from family members and stay with them for 24 hours.[3] [6] [18] The house has a small kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room with a dining table, a sofa, and a television, as well as an outdoor play area with toys.[18] Foreigners are not allowed in and inmates have to complete a child-development education program to have 24-hour-long visits.[18] During visits, staff make regular checks on the prisoners and their families.[18]

Staff

As of 2012, Halden had 340 staff members, including teachers, healthcare workers, personal trainers, and guards (who also work as social workers due to their 2 year course that they have to take before becoming a guard).[6] [19] The philosophy of "dynamic security", which encourages the staff and the inmates to develop interpersonal relationships, helps prevent potential aggression and guarantees safety.[7] Guards eat meals and play sports with the inmates, and are typically unarmed because guns can produce intimidation and social distance.[3] The interaction between prisoners and the staff is designed "to create a sense of family," according to architect Per Hojgaard Nielsen,[4] and because the staff can be role models to help the inmates to recreate their sense of daily routine, for application outside of prison walls once their sentence is over.[8] Half the guards are women, as Høidal thinks it minimizes aggression.[3] The guard stations were also designed to be tiny and cramped, to encourage officers to interact more with the inmates.[7]

Impact

Halden city's inhabitants view the prison as a chance to find employment rather than a bad thing.[4] Nina Margareta Høie of the web magazine The Nordic Page stated that the prison is "known for having the most humanly conditions in Europe,"[20] while William Lee James of Time and Amelia Gentleman from The Guardian called it the world's "most humane prison."[3] [6] The BBC reported that the design of Scottish prison HMP Grampian was inspired by Halden.[21] Architect group Bryden Wood, which are the team responsible for the redesign of HMP Wellingborough, looked after Halden as they considered it one of "world-leading examples" of how a rehabilitation-focused prison should be.[22]

In 2010, Halden Prison was shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards,[23] and its interior design earned the Arnstein Arneberg Award.[24] [25] In 2014, as part of Wim Wenders' 3D documentary series Cathedrals of Culture, Michael Madsen directed a short film exploring how the prison's design and architecture influence the re-socialization process.[26] [27] That same year, another film on Halden Prison was produced: The Norden, a television film produced by the Finnish Broadcasting Company, explored the reactions of James Conway, a former superintendent at New York's Attica Correctional Facility, during a prison tour.[28] [29] Conway affirmed: "This is prison utopia. I don't think you can go any more liberal — other than giving the inmates the keys."[29] In his 2015 documentary Where to Invade Next, filmmaker Michael Moore presented Halden Prison as an example of how the USA should manage its prison system.[30]

However, the conservative, right-wing populist Progress Party has criticized Halden Prison.[4] [5] When foreigners in Norwegian prisons increased from 8.6 percent in 2000 to 34.2 percent in 2014,[31] Per Sandberg, former deputy leader of the party, attributed this to "Halden's high standard", arguing that Halden's facilities should be reserved for Norwegian citizens.[4] The party also contended that Halden's quality of life is "better than in many nursing and retirement homes".[5] British Channel 5 broadcast a 45-minute documentary about Halden titled World's Most Luxurious Prison in November 2020. It was presented by conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, who mostly criticized it and said a prison should not be like "normal life".[32]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Correctional Services - StatRes, 2011 . October 30, 2012 . Statistics Norway . December 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131115013844/http://www.ssb.no/en/sosiale-forhold-og-kriminalitet/statistikker/kriminal_statres/aar/2012-10-30 . November 15, 2013 . live.
  2. Web site: Melding frå Kongen til Stortinget om Noregs rikes tilstand og styring i tida etter siste melding . October 2, 2010 . . December 7, 2014 . Norwegian . https://web.archive.org/web/20160611114625/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/riketstilstand/id616361/ . June 11, 2016 . live .
  3. Norway Builds the World's Most Humane Prison . Adams . William Lee . . . May 10, 2010 . July 27, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140903145733/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1986002,00.html . September 3, 2014 . live.
  4. Sentenced to Serving the Good Life in Norway . Adams . William Lee . July 12, 2010 . Time . Time Inc. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190330090054/http://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2000920,00.html . March 30, 2019 . December 19, 2014.
  5. Web site: Mehr Ferienanlage als Gefängnis . July 27, 2011 . . . December 7, 2014 . German . https://web.archive.org/web/20110901075833/http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/ausland/terror-in-norwegen/Mehr-Ferienanlage-als-Gefaengnis/story/29158630?dossier_id=996 . September 1, 2011 . live . Das im Frühling 2010 eröffnete Gefängnis nimmt Schwer- und Schwerstkriminelle.
  6. Web site: Inside Halden, the most humane prison in the world . Gentleman . Amelia . May 18, 2012 . . December 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160606132350/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/may/18/halden-most-humane-prison-in-world . June 6, 2016 . live .
  7. Web site: The Radical Humaneness of Norway's Halden Prison . limited . March 26, 2015 . Benko . Jessica . . July 4, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161115101904/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/the-radical-humaneness-of-norways-halden-prison.html?_r=1 . November 15, 2016 . live .
  8. Web site: Primary Health & Prison Health Systems Expert Group - Second Meeting . March 2011 . . December 6, 2014 . 8 . December 8, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141208195917/http://www.ndphs.org///documents/2670/Draft%20minutes%20PPHS%20EG_fin.pdf . dead .
  9. Web site: In Norway, A Prison Built On Second Chances . May 31, 2015 . Kofman . Jeffrey . . May 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160515202505/http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/31/410532066/in-norway-a-prison-built-on-second-chances . May 15, 2016 . live .
  10. Web site: Erik Møller Arkitekter: Home . ema.dk . December 9, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141213222641/http://www.ema.dk/uk/ . December 13, 2014.
  11. Web site: Halden fengsel . HLM Arkitektur AS . August 31, 2017 . https://archive.today/20170831194530/http://www.hlm.no/?project=halden-fengsel-2 . August 31, 2017 . live .
  12. Web site: Halden Prison (Erik Møller Architects & HLM Architects) . August 13, 2014 . Leung . Jennifer . . December 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160501182716/http://designandviolence.moma.org/halden-prison-erik-moller-architects-hlm-architects/ . May 1, 2016 . live .
  13. Book: Contrasts in Punishment: An Explanation of Anglophone Excess and Nordic Exceptionalism . Pratt . John . Eriksson . Anna . . 2014 . 978-1-136-21700-5 . 203.
  14. Web site: A Norwegian who killed 77 people is suing over prison conditions — these photos show how luxurious Norwegian prisons are . Sterbenz . Christina . Engel . Pamela . March 19, 2016 . . Business Insider Inc. . May 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160404055157/http://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-norway-prisons-like . April 4, 2016 . live.
  15. Web site: Norway has the most luxurious — and humane — prisons in the world . March 16, 2015 . O'Neill . Marnie . . . May 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160627193840/http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/norway-has-the-most-luxurious--and-humane--prisons-in-the-world/news-story/d26b8c94de440270abeb2ca7cf9420d4 . June 27, 2016 . live .
  16. Web site: The jail where every prisoner gets a flat-screen TV and private shower . May 21, 2012 . . May 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160511085257/http://theweek.com/articles/475370/jail-where-every-prisoner-gets-flatscreen-tv-private-shower . May 11, 2016 . live .
  17. Web site: The Super-Lux Super Max . https://web.archive.org/web/20120620190123/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/25/the_super_lux_super_max?page=0,3 . June 20, 2012 . Masi . Alex . July 25, 2011 . . . December 19, 2014 . 4.
  18. Web site: Sex in Prison . Atkinson . Loraine . . . May 6, 2014 . December 18, 2014 . 178 . 18 . subscription .
  19. Web site: The Super-Lux Super Max . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928025916/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/25/the_super_lux_super_max?page=0,1 . September 28, 2011 . Masi . Alex . July 25, 2011 . Foreign Policy . Graham Holdings Company . December 19, 2014 . 2.
  20. Web site: Sweden Cautious about Renting Prison Cells to Norway . https://web.archive.org/web/20140330051003/http://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/4299-sweden-cautious-about-renting-prison-cells-to-norway . March 30, 2014 . Høie . Nina Margareta . February 6, 2014 . The Nordic Page . December 6, 2014.
  21. Web site: HMP Grampian: Transforming Scotland's Hate Factory . November 16, 2014 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150116005513/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nzbbm . January 16, 2015 . December 6, 2014.
  22. Web site: Epic jail: inside the UK's optimised 'super-prison' warehouses . Wainwright, Oliver . September 2, 2019 . The Guardian . January 17, 2021.
  23. Web site: World Architecture Festival awards - shortlists revealed . August 5, 2011 . . Metropolis . August 31, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170901032101/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/world-architecture-festival-awards-shortlists-revealed/8604341.article . September 1, 2017 . live .
  24. News: Halden fengsel er årets bygg i Østfold . June 22, 2010 . Foss . Ole Christian . . . December 7, 2014 . Norwegian . https://web.archive.org/web/20141208121046/http://www.moss-avis.no/nyheter/halden-fengsel-er-arets-bygg-i-ostfold-1.5401647 . December 8, 2014 . live.
  25. Web site: Designer jail: inside Norway's Halden prison - in pictures . May 18, 2012 . The Guardian . December 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141209033924/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2012/may/18/halden-prison-pictures-gughi-fassino . December 9, 2014 . live.
  26. Web site: Cathedrals of Culture: Halden Prison . Final Cut for Real . December 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141208073358/http://www.final-cut.dk/films2.php?mit_indhold_id=3&films_id=17 . December 8, 2014 . dead .
  27. Web site: Madsen and Redford make 3D documentary series . Dam . Freja . May 30, 2013 . . December 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141209034317/http://www.dfi.dk/Service/English/News-and-publications/News/Maj-2013/Madsen-and-Redford-make-3D-doc-series.aspx . December 9, 2014 . live.
  28. Web site: A Look At Life Inside Norway's Halden Prison, Where There Are No Bars And Inmates Have Flat-Screen TVs Inside Their Cells . Francis . Nathan . October 19, 2014 . . December 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919114022/http://www.inquisitr.com/1550875/a-look-at-life-inside-norways-halden-prison-where-there-are-no-bars-and-inmates-have-flat-screen-tvs-inside-their-cells/ . September 19, 2016 . live .
  29. Web site: Take A Tour Of Norway's Unbelievably Luxurious Prison . Sterbenz . Christina . Engel . Pamela . October 29, 2014 . Business Insider . Business Insider Inc. . December 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160428174432/http://www.businessinsider.com/tour-of-halden-prison-2014-10 . April 28, 2016 . live .
  30. Web site: Michael Moore 'invades' Norway in latest film . April 15, 2016 . . October 20, 2018.
  31. Web site: Norway's 'cushy' prisons spurring foreign cons . June 2, 2014 . The Local . December 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810213814/http://m.thelocal.com/20140602/norways-cushy-prisons-spurring-foreign-cons . August 10, 2014 . live.
  32. Web site: World's Most Luxurious Prison: Shocked viewers claim 'hotel-like' jail is 'better than outside world' . Bell, Richard . November 13, 2020 . Entertainment Daily . January 17, 2021.