What country has the nicest prison?

Norway
Norway has consistently ranked number one on a number of lists entailing the best, most comfortable prisons in the world. Since the 1990s, Norway’s prison system has evolved into spaces that represent comfort, healing and inclusivity.

Are all Norwegian prisons nice?

Prisons in Norway are known for being heavily focused on rehabilitation. Some say they’re too comfortable and forgiving for perpetrators of serious crimes, including violence. Some say they’re exemplarily humane and part of the reason Norway’s crime rates are low compared to other countries.

What are Swedish prisons like?

Prisoners in “open prisons” do not spend their time behind bars; rather, they live in housing that resembles dorms from a school, and have more freedom than what most people would usually imagine. Prisoners have access to televisions and are even able to visit their families while being monitored.

How many prisoners are in Sweden compared to the US?

The prison population of Sweden (6,900) is less than half the population of Rikers Island at its height (14,000). Several prisons in the U.S. each hold nearly twice the prison population of Finland. This is not simply the difference between large and much smaller countries.

What is it like in Scandinavian jails?

Scandinavian Jails Offer More Freedoms and Amenities. Scandinavian jails, including Halden, get a bad rap from American media. They’re portrayed as cushy, naive, and soft on crime. Halden is one of Norway’s newest maximum-security prisons near the border between Norway and Sweden.

How are prisons in the Nordic countries different from the US?

While high-security prisons in the U.S. often involve caging and dehumanizing a prisoner, prisons in Nordic countries are designed to treat them as people with psychosocial needs that are to be carefully attended to.

How does Sweden keep its incarceration and recidivism rates so low?

Öberg believes that the way Sweden treats its prisoners is partly responsible for keeping incarceration and recidivism rates so low. “It has to do with whether you decide to use prison as your first option or as a last resort, and what you want your probation system to achieve,” he told the Guardian.