Slate: The Super-Lux SuperMax [that will hold Norway mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik]

[Bliz]

Pictures at the link.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/25/the_super_lux_super_max

Norway's unrepentant mass killer, Anders Behring Breivik, is now under arrest. And he should count himself lucky for -- if entirely undeserving of -- a penal system in that country that is among the cushiest in the world. There's no capital punishment, and the longest jail term allowed is 21 years (a caveat: if a prisoner is deemed to still be a threat, his sentence can be extended in five-year blocks indefinitely, though it's highly unlikely, according to Norwegian officials). In Norway, rehabilitation is the guiding principle, not punishment -- a somewhat difficult notion to swallow given the gravity and callousness of his crimes.

"Both society and the individual simply have to put aside their desire for revenge, and stop focusing on prisons as places of punishment and pain," one Norwegian prison official told the Daily Mail. "Depriving a person of their freedom for a period of time is sufficient punishment in itself without any need whatsoever for harsh prison conditions."

Norway's newest jail may hold rapists and murderers, but Halden Prison -- the country's second largest and most secure facility -- looks more like a posh sleepaway camp. In fact, architects say they purposely tried to avoid an "institutional feel." When it opened in 2010, some news accounts called it the "most humane" prison in the world.

Indeed, one of the many perks at Halden is flat-screen televisions in inmates' rooms. There's no HBO, though, so reruns of Oz and The Wire are contraband. Still, prisoners get private cells with mini-fridges and large windows to let in more sunlight. Here, then, is a quick tour of what luxuries may await Breivik behind bars. (That's a figure of speech, of course: There are no iron bars at Halden.)

[China]

If they can afford it, OK. With the number of prisoners we have in this country it would be cost prohibitive. The punitive spartan prisons we have aren't conducive to reform and rehabilitation. So what is the purpose of the prison and how do you go about achieving that?

[#98QBKiller]

If I ever go to Norway, remind me not to worry about being arrested.

[Pick6]

So dude kills a 100 people and may only serve 21 years at the most. Okay well that makes sense.

Also, I read in an article yesterday that inmates get a personal trainer.

[Boss_Hogg]

looks more like a resort

[#98QBKiller]

Looks like hard time.

[TimmySmith]

So dude kills a 100 people and may only serve 21 years at the most.

That's the real punishment, being forced to leave.

[Larry]

The lead on page 2:

Prisoners spend a lot of time out of their cells; exercise is encouraged. And in Halden, not only is there clean air but personal trainers. Here, a comely woman coach jogs alongside an inmate in the prison yard. According to Time magazine, the prison is spread over 75 acres "of gently sloping forest.… To avoid an institutional feel, exteriors are not concrete but made of bricks, galvanized steel and larch; the buildings seem to have grown organically from the woodlands."

[oisn1]

Norway also has low recidivism rates compared to the United States which might mean that they are actually rehabilitating criminals. They also have a lower crime rate.

[twa]

or maybe they start with a better class of criminal....or maybe they just move

[SkinInsite]

Maybe the Norwegians believe that prison is best for rehabilitation not punishment.

[Bliz]

One interesting thing I notice that they don't comment on in the article is the clothes. It looks like they all just packed suitcases of whatever of their own clothes they wanted to bring. No prison jumpsuits.

Low recidivism and incarceration rates are great. Clearly what they have is working for them. But if any of the above comments are meant to imply that their system would work here, I think you're probably wrong. On the other hand, I doubt it would be much worse than our clearly in-need-of-fixing system.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Maybe the Norwegians believe that prison is best for rehabilitation not punishment.

Funny how their crime rate is lower than ours, with our badass prisons.

[Fresh8686]

Damn thats a nice ass prison and I thought Petersburg was nice after all the different jails I've been too.

Shoot if I lose my job, I'm selling coke in Norway.

[twa]

Funny how their crime rate is lower than ours, with our badass prisons.

Did our crime rate come first or the prisons?....then again they define crime differently

[Hubbs]

I'm a big proponent of reforming our prison system to focus more on rehabilitation, but this is pretty ridiculous.

[shk75]

It seems to working for them. Every nation and culture is distinct and just because it might seem ridiculous to us, it seems to be working for them and I am sure they think our system is a complete joke.

[mistertim]

It seems to working for them. Every nation and culture is distinct and just because it might seem ridiculous to us, it seems to be working for them and I am sure they think our system is a complete joke.

I agree with this. However, there is a problem when you come across someone who really is just a born psychopath and has no interest in changing and has no capacity for remorse or regret for his crimes...which is the way Breivik seems to be. What do you do then? You're not going to rehabilitate someone who is like that; just ask any psychologist or psychiatrist who has dealt enough with real, full on clinical psychopaths. So this guy murders all of these people, seems to have zero remorse, and you're going to let him out in 21 years? Its a very tricky situation for them, to be sure.

[Slateman]

For a second, I thought this thread was for me ....

[shk75]

I agree with this. However, there is a problem when you come across someone who really is just a born psychopath and has no interest in changing and has no capacity for remorse or regret for his crimes...which is the way Breivik seems to be. What do you do then? You're not going to rehabilitate someone who is like that; just ask any psychologist or psychiatrist who has dealt enough with real, full on clinical psychopaths. So this guy murders all of these people, seems to have zero remorse, and you're going to let him out in 21 years? Its a very tricky situation for them, to be sure.

True, but you also don't want to be a reactionary nation which changes its system dramatically based on the unfortunate events surrounding one man's actions. Sometimes in life ****ty things happen just because they happen and it was not the system's fault or the nation's or anyone else for that matter, just life. I think sometimes there is a rush to change just for the sake of change and to me it seems like this tragedy was a one-time freak thing.

[DeaconTheVillain]

Typical prison day=Typical American Saturday

[IONTOP]

Typical prison day=Typical American Saturday

Minus the exercise...

[Koolblue13]

They're crazy, they should follow our lead of having prisons that resemble the SPCA only dirtier, because it obviously works here.

[I_Bleed_B&G]

That place is nicer than my college dorm when I was in college.

[alexey]

Also mind the difference between a nation-state and just a state.

When your population is 4.9 million and most of them are of your nationality, I guess you can easily end up treating criminals like you would treat a crazy uncle or something.