Halden Prison

Located in Halden, Østfold, Norway,^[2] Halden Prison was built for over 10 years at a cost of 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($252 million/£138 million/€150 million).^[3][4] The prison received its first inmates on March 1, 2010^[5] and was officially opened on April 8 by the Norwegian King Harald V.^[6] It is Norway's second-largest prison^[7] with a capacity of 248–252 prisoners^[a] and a site of 75 acres (30 ha).^[3]

As a maximum-security prison,^[7] it hosts both dangerous and highly dangerous criminals,^[11] such as rapists, murderers, and drug dealers.^[4] They compose half of the population, while a third of the residents are drug offenders.^[1] 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.^[1][4] There is also a special unit (C8) focused on addiction recovery.^[1] Most inmates live in Units B and C, which are freer and have mixed cell blocks.^[1] Halden Prison receives both domestic and international criminals; as only around three-fifths of the prisoners are Norwegians (as of 2015),^[1] both Norwegian and English are used, and the prison has English teachers.^[4] However, fluency in Norwegian is a requirement to live in C8, because group and individual counseling is conducted in Norwegian.^[1]

There are no conventional security devices, such as barbed tape, electric fences, towers, or snipers.^[1] However, there is safety glass,^[10] a 6 m × 1,500 m (20 ft × 4,921 ft) concrete and steel wall,^[7][10] and a system of tunnels which guards use to walk through the prison.^[7] 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.^[1] While there is little violence reported, almost exclusively in Unit A, officers try to prevent it.^[1] If two inmates have a dispute, they engage in a mediation session under staff supervision.^[1] If mediation fails, repeated misbehavior or rule violations are punished with cell confinement or prison transference.^[1][12]

The prison was designed by the Danish group Erik Møller Architects and the Norwegian HLM Arkitektur AS,^[13][14] 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.^[1][15]

With a focus on rehabilitation, it was designed to simulate a village so that the prisoners can consider themselves part of society.^[7] The government believes that "the smaller the difference between life inside and outside the prison, the easier the transition from prison to freedom."^[7] Interiors are painted and designed to demarcate the differences between home, school, and the workplace.^[16] 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.^[1] The hallways are tiled with Moroccan tiles or have large-scale photographs, such as daffodils or Parisian streets.^[4]

Exteriors are composed of bricks, galvanized steel, and larch wood, instead of concrete.^[7] The black and red kiln-fired bricks were inspired by the trees, mosses, and bedrock of the surroundings.^[1] Natural life, including birch, blueberry, and pine trees, also contribute to rehabilitation.^[1][12] The steel, a "hard" material, symbolizes detention, while the larch, a "soft" material, stands for rehabilitation and growth.^[1] The yard walls and toilet doors are decorated by a graffiti painting by the Norwegian artist Dolk,^[15] which was ordered by the prison from its 6 million kroner ($1 million/£640,000) art budget.^[4][7]

All aspects of the prison's design aim to avoid psychological pressures, conflicts, and interpersonal friction.^[1] Despite this, the prison wall was designed for security.^[1] 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.^[1]

Each prison cell is 10 square metres (110 sq ft) and has a flat-screen television, desk, mini-fridge, toilet with shower, and unbarred vertical window that lets in more light.^[3][4][12] Every 10–12 cells share a common area with a kitchen and a living room;^[3][17] 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.^[1][17][18] While the prison provides food, the prisoners can also buy ingredients at its grocery shop and cook their own meals.^[1][4] Inmates are locked in their cells twelve hours a day, but they are encouraged to maximize their time outside.^[7][12] Prisoners have an incentive of 53 kroner ($9/£5.60) a day to leave their cells.^[4][19] Are Høidal, the prison's governor, stated that the fewer activities the prisoners have, the more aggressive they become.^[4] There is an "Activities House",^[10] 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][7] At the mixing studio, the inmates may record music and a monthly program broadcast by the local radio station.^[4] A library with books, magazines, CDs and DVDs; a gym with a rock-climbing wall; and a chapel are also available.^[12][18][20] 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.^[21] Individual rooms containing a sofa, sink, and cupboard with sheets, towels, and condoms are available for single-person visits.^[21] For those with families, a larger room with toys and baby-changing facilities is available.^[21] Inmates are checked after visits, and if illegal items are found, prisoners can lose their rights to private visits.^[21] This right is denied to high risk criminals and visitors with histories of drug offenses.^[21] There is also a separated, chalet-style house where prisoners can receive visits from family members and stay with them for 24 hours.^[3][4][21] 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.^[21] Foreigners are not allowed in and inmates have to complete a child-development education program to have 24-hour-long visits.^[21] During visits, staff make regular checks on the prisoners and their families.^[21]

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).^[4][22] The philosophy of "dynamic security", which encourages the staff and the inmates to develop interpersonal relationships, helps prevent potential aggression and guarantees safety.^[1] 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,^[7] 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.^[10] 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.^[1]

Halden city's inhabitants view the prison as a chance to find employment rather than a bad thing.^[7] Nina Margareta Høie of the web magazine The Nordic Page stated that the prison is "known for having the most humanly conditions in Europe,"^[23] while William Lee James of Time and Amelia Gentleman from The Guardian called it the world's "most humane prison."^[3][4] The BBC reported that the design of Scottish prison HMP Grampian was inspired by Halden.^[24] 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.^[25]

In 2010, Halden Prison was shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards,^[26] and its interior design earned the Arnstein Arneberg Award.^[2][27] 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.^[28][29] 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.^[30][31] Conway affirmed: "This is prison utopia. I don't think you can go any more liberal — other than giving the inmates the keys."^[31] 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.^[32]

However, the conservative, right-wing populist Progress Party has criticized Halden Prison.^[7][11] When foreigners in Norwegian prisons increased from 8.6 percent in 2000 to 34.2 percent in 2014,^[33] 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.^[7] The party also contended that Halden's quality of life is "better than in many nursing and retirement homes".^[11] British Channel 5 broadcast a 45-minute documentary about Halden titled World's Most Luxurious Prison in November 2020.^[b] It was presented by conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, who mostly criticized it and said a prison should not be like "normal life".^[35]

Nonetheless, "the success of Halden Prison challenges our traditional views on punishment. Here’s why it matters:

• Cost-Effectiveness: While the initial investment in a luxurious prison might be higher, the long-term savings are significant. Reduced recidivism means less strain on the prison system.

• Human Dignity: Treating prisoners with respect and providing them with opportunities for growth respects their human dignity. This can lead to more positive societal reintegration.

• Breaking the Cycle: By addressing the root causes of criminal behavior, such as poor mental health and lack of education, we can break the cycle of crime."^[37]

• Bastøy Prison
• Egalitarianism
• Haren Prison, a large modern prison on the edge of Brussels that opened in 2022.
• Incarceration in Norway
• List of countries by incarceration rate

• Official site (in Norwegian)