By: Ingrid Lone
There’s an island outside of Oslo, Norway’s capital, called Bastøy Island. This island is better known by the name Bastøy Prison. It is the biggest low-security prison in Norway. In 2007 it became the first human ecological prison in the world.
The prison is based on three values: ecology, humanism and responsibility development. The prison uses the entire island, but the northern part is open to the public. The prison works like a community and consists of about 80 buildings, as well as beaches, roads, forests, farmland and landscape. In addition to the jail function, there’s also a store, a library, a church, a school, several health services, information offices, NAV (government social services), docks, a ferry service and a lighthouse that prisoners use for smaller meetings and seminars. Most inmates in Bastøy prison are long-term prisoners and many of them have transferred from other prisons.
Inmates in Norwegian prisons have the same right to education as non-prisoners. This includes inmates with foreign backgrounds that have a resident permit. The school at Bastøy offers computer courses, shop courses, carpentry training, agriculture, math, Norwegian, English, science, history, social studies and English for immigrants. Also provided is everyday math and music.
The prison also has five different work units; maritime, kitchen, the shop, technical and agricultural. The maritime unit consists of the ferry MF “Vederøy”, the fishing boat “Skeien” and a shipping office on the island. The main job for people working in the maritime unit is to provide safe transportation for passengers and goods to and from the island. There are no special criteria for joining the maritime unit, unless you want to become a seaman. To become a seaman, you need to pass a health check with a maritime doctor, a safety course and crisis/passenger handling courses. The prison will cover all the costs of the courses.
There are no criteria to work in the agriculture unit. The prisoners will get the practical training they need to do their work. The agricultural unit consists of a farm, a cow and sheep barn, a stable, forests, firewood and gardens. Agricultural workers learn about park and sport information and seed and grass production. The prison believes that working in agriculture helps the prisoners develop the ability to cooperate and compassion for people, animals and the environment. Most of the food the inmates eat is food they have grown themselves.
The kitchen makes dinner for the prison’s about 120 inmates and provides lunch for the staff members. The kitchen is an approved training company so inmates can get educated in the kitchen and eventually get their certificate. The kitchen runs the shop as well. The shop sells groceries and snacks for the inmates. The inmates that are employed in the shop get the training they need in product ordering, receiving and inspecting goods, inventory monitoring, customer service and cleaning.
The last unit is the technical unit. They are responsible for the maintenance of the prison. They have a sawmill and a small workshop. The main goal is for the inmates to get the education that they need in order to get a job in carpentry when they get out of prison.
The harshest sentence a Norwegian court will hand down is a life sentence of 21 years. The sentence may be extended by five years at a time if the inmate is still considered dangerous. Norway’s legal system believes in rehabilitating more than punishing. They believe that taking away someone’s freedom is enough and putting them on Bastøy island forces them to take responsibility, work, make their own food and cooperate with other people. The prisons in Norway work that way so that the inmates are prepared for their life after prison. The recidivism rate in Norway is 20% and, on Bastøy, is 16%, the lowest rate in all of Europe.
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