Halden Prison

Interior of the prison
Location	Halden, Norway
Coordinates	59°8′25.703″N 11°17′11.55″E / 59.14047306°N 11.2865417°E / 59.14047306; 11.2865417
Status	Operational
Security class	Maximum
Capacity	248–252 [a]
Population	251 (as of 2015 [1])
Opened	April 8, 2010 (2010-04-08)
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, ^[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]}

Design

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]

Prison life

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]

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). ^{[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]

Impact

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]

See also

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

Notes

References

External links

• Official site (in Norwegian)