In my previous post, I touched on the issue of criminal recidivism in the United States. Criminal recidivism is a broad term that refers to the relapse into criminal behavior after a prisoner has been released. According to the National Institute of Justice, within three years of being released, almost 70 percent of prisoners were rearrested, and 75 percent within five years of being released. The United States has one of the highest recidivism rates in the world. In recent years, the Justice System has pushed to solve the front end of the problem, getting criminals in jail, but it has failed to deal with the back end of the problem, preventing these criminals from committing additional crimes once they are released. This situation fails to make total sense and is nothing but a temporary fix because ninety-five percent of prisoners will eventually be released back into communities and continue to commit crimes. According to Atlas Corps, the main explanation to this issue is that prisoners have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, getting a job with a criminal record, and reestablishing relationships. The criminal recidivism statistics signal that there is an evident flaw in our prison system that seems to prevent prisoners from readjusting into society after being released
On the contrary, in this post I want to discuss a specific country’s prison system that has been deemed successful. Norway’s prison system is almost the polar opposite of America’s in many ways. Compared to 707 people for every 100,000 in the United States, Norway’s incarceration rate of 75 per 100,000 people seems minimal. The max prison sentence is minimized to 21 years and life sentenced are not permitted. Additionally, Norway’s recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the world at 20%. Based on these statistics, it’s clear Norway is doing something right, and that something is called restorative justice. According to the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, restorative justice is “a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior… best accomplished through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders.” Norway uses this concept within its prisons to rehabilitate prisoners rather than punish them. Restorative justice responds through a crime through a three step process:
- identifying and taking steps to repair harm
- involving all stakeholders
- transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.
In 2010, Halden Prison, a maximum security prison, was labeled the most humane prison in the 
world. If you are only familiar with the interior of American prisons, you might have difficulty identifying Halden prison as even as a prison. The prison tries to maintain a “normalcy” atmosphere, so there are no bars on the windows, a full kitchen for the inmates, and a healthy and friendly relationship between the guard and inmates. A cell room is comparable to a dorm room with a comfortable bed, a TV, and a desk. The inmates socialize with one another in the rec room, have access to a gym, and prepare and eat dinner together. They are also given time to worship and strengthen their personal skills. Each inmate is assigned an occupation within the prison to continue and improve their responsibilities and worth ethic. The prison believes in the philosophy that “Allow people, even dangerous people, to feel like humans and they’ll behave more civilly than if treated like forces of evil”
Now, let’s compare this prison to a super-max American prison known for house America’s most dangerous criminals. A standard cell in ADX Florence is closet sized room with a shower set on timer, a 4-inch window, a toilet and sink, and a bed bolted into the ground. All but one hour of the prisoner’s day is spent locked up in their room. Those who are well behaved are granted two hours per day to work out in cages located outside. The majority of the 422 inmates in the prison are serving life sentences. Those who do get released are almost guaranteed a resentence due to their lacking ability to readjust to societal norms. Criminologist, Bob Cameron, believes that prisons should have five goals: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, restoration, and rehabilitation. Could the Norwegian prison system appear to luxurious and lax? Many Americans would think so, but it is the overall idea of rehabilitation first that Americans must look to consider.
Works Cited
“Recidivism in the United States – An Overview.” Atlas Corps, atlascorps.org/recidivism-united-states-overview/.
“Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice, www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/pages/welcome.aspx.
Sterbenz, Christina. “Why Norway’s Prison System Is so Successful.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 11 Dec. 2014, www.businessinsider.com/why-norways-prison-system-is-so-successful-2014-12.
“Tutorial: Introduction to Restorative Justice.” Restorative Justice, restorativejustice.org/restorative-justice/about-restorative-justice/tutorial-intro-to-restorative-justice/#sthash.RXJJ7xUn.dpbs.
Weller, Chris. “Photos of Maximum-Security Prisons in Norway and the US Reveal the Extremes of Prison Life.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/photos-of-maximum-security-prisons-in-norway-and-the-us-reveal-the-extremes-of-prison-life.
It is really disappointing to hear about how our prison system falls short compared to other countries. Additionally, I think once you go to prison, you are essentially branded because people do not want to hire you, and society naturally has a negative view of former criminals.
Wow! this is just an interesting topic to read about! Seeing the differences between the max prisons in the US and Norway is really interesting. It truly does sound that Norway does something right. However, there are also ethical questions for this system. It is understandable for smaller crimes criminals or thieves to be treated and given better conditions, as their actions are not as bad and we should help them readjust to the world when they get out. However, should murderers be given the same conditions? If someone decided to take someone else’s life, should they be given with such nice conditions or should they pay for their actions?
I find it fascinating that countries can have such different approaches to the prison system. While I acknowledge the argument some Americans have, Norwegian prisons are too luxurious, I think that prisoners are people and should be treated as such even if they have committed terrible crimes. There is a difference between being ‘lax’ and being humane, so I think American prisons can learn something from Norway.
The only thing that I feel would difficult about this is the ethics behind making a prison so “luxurious” because I feel like people would commit crimes to have the opportunity to better themselves. Prison would be less of a threat. However, the numbers don’t lie. There must be a better system to reduce the percentage of reoccurring offenders.