The normality principle (Norwegian: normalitetsprinsippet) is a principle used by the Norwegian Correctional Service that guides the practice of incarceration in Norway. The principle drives the punishment for crimes to focus only on the restriction of liberty and to not deprive the sentenced offender of other rights, where feasible. [1] [2] [3]
The Norwegian Correctional Service is a government agency responsible for the implementation of detention and punishment in a way that is reassuring for the society and for preventing criminal acts. The agency is governed by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Incarceration in Norway's criminal justice system focuses on the principle of restorative justice and rehabilitating prisoners. Correctional facilities in Norway focus on the care of the offender and making sure they can become a functioning member of society again. Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world, currently 20%, with approximately 3,933 offenders in prison, and one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Norway's prisons are renowned for being some of the best and most humane in the world. Norway does not have the death penalty or sentence people to life imprisonment. The maximum custodial sentence is 21 years, however the courts do have power to add to sentences as they see fit during sentences if they do not feel the offender has been fully rehabilitated.
The Norwegian Correctional Service describes the normality principle as follows: [1]
In addition to security reasons, infrastructural and financial reasons are cited as possible reasons for further denying sentenced offenders some rights.
A similar description of the principle is provided by Marianne Vollan, Director General of the Norwegian Correctional Service, in an interview. [4]
The article Maintaining normality when serving a prison sentence in the digital society in the Croatian Medical Journal discusses the practice of the normality principle in Norway. It notes that the restrictions on Internet use and telephone use runs against the normality principle, and may prevent inmates from learning digital skills necessary to reintegrate into society. [5]
The Croatian Medical Journal is a bimonthly peer-reviewed diamond open access general medical journal. It was established in 1953 as the Acta Facultatis Medicae Zagrabiensis, obtaining its current name in 1992. Its first issue under its current title was published in February 1992, and it has been published by Medicinska naklada since 2001. It was previously published by the University of Zagreb School of Medicine. The editor-in-chief is Tomislav Smoljanović. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2016 impact factor of 1.619.
An article in The Atlantic about Scandinavian prison systems discusses the normality principle as part of its discussion of the Norwegian prison system. [3]
The Atlantic is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts as The Atlantic Monthly, a literary and cultural commentary magazine that published leading writers' commentary on the abolition of slavery, education, and other major issues in contemporary political affairs. Its founders included Francis H. Underwood and prominent writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Greenleaf Whittier. James Russell Lowell was its first editor. It was also known for publishing literary pieces by leading writers.
The last episode of Inside the World's Toughest Prisons , a documentary series with each episode taking an inside look into a prison, looks at the Halden Prison in Norway. The normality principle is discussed in the episode. Are Høidal, the governor of Halden Prison (who is also interviewed in the episode) has also written an article for the Federal Sentencing Register describing the normality principle in action in Halden Prison. [6]
Inside the World's Toughest Prisons is a three-season television documentary produced by London-based Emporium Productions and available on Netflix. The documentary shows life in 12 prisons around the world, mostly from the prisoner perspective but also including the perspective of prison guards and others interacting with the prison system. Season 1 was hosted by Irish journalist Paul Connolly and originally aired on Channel 5 (UK). Seasons 2 and 3 were commissioned by Netflix and hosted by UK journalist Raphael Rowe, who had himself served 12 years in prison for a crime he was eventually acquitted of.
Halden Prison is a maximum-security prison in Halden, Norway. It has three main units and receives prisoners from all over the world, but has no conventional security devices. The second-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.
Parole is the release of a prisoner who agrees to certain conditions before the completion of the maximum sentence period, originating from the French parole. The term became associated during the Middle Ages with the release of prisoners who gave their word.
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court instead of serving time in prison.
Incarceration in the United States is one of the main forms of punishment and rehabilitation for the commission of felony and other offenses. The United States has the largest prison population in the world, and the highest per-capita incarceration rate. In 2016 in the US, there were 655 people incarcerated per 100,000 population. This is the US incarceration rate for adults or people tried as adults. In 2016, 2.2 million Americans have been incarcerated, which means for every 100,000 there are 655 that are currently inmates. Prison, parole, and probation operations generate an $81 billion annual cost to U.S. taxpayers, while police and court costs, bail bond fees, and prison phone fees generate another $100 billion in costs that are paid by individuals.
The Correctional Service of Canada, also known as Correctional Service Canada or Corrections Canada, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders sentenced to two years or more. The agency has its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario.
Sullivan Correctional Facility is a New York State maximum security prison correctional facility for male prisoners located in Fallsburg, New York. It is operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services.
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime. Thus, military prisons are of two types: penal, for punishing and attempting to reform members of the military who have committed an offense, and confinement-oriented, where captured enemy combatants are confined for military reasons until hostilities cease.
Rehabilitation is the process of re-educating and retraining those who commit crime. It generally involves psychological approaches which target the cognitive distortions associated with specific kinds of crime committed by particular offenders - but may also involve more general education such as literacy skills and work training. The goal is to re-integrate offenders back into society.
A prison nursery is a section of a prison that houses incarcerated mothers and their very young children. Prison nurseries are not common in correctional facilities in the United States, although prior to the 1950s many states had them and they are widespread throughout the rest of the world.
Monroe Correctional Complex is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Monroe, Washington, United States. With an operating capacity of 2,500, it is the second largest prison in the state. It opened 109 years ago in 1910, 21 years after statehood.
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) is a state agency of Louisiana, headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency comprises two major areas: Public Safety Services and Corrections Services. The Secretary, who is appointed by the Governor, serves as the department's chief executive officer. The Corrections Services Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary, and Assistant Secretaries for the Office of Adult Services and the Office of Youth Development report directly to the Secretary. Headquarters Administration consists of centralized Divisions that support the management and operations of the adult and juvenile institutions, adult and juvenile probation and parole district offices, and all other services provided by the department.
A prison, also known as a correctional facility, jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, remand center, or internment facility, is a facility in which inmates are forcibly confined and denied a variety of freedoms under the authority of the state. Prisons are most commonly used within a criminal justice system: people charged with crimes may be imprisoned until their trial; those pleading or being found guilty of crimes at trial may be sentenced to a specified period of imprisonment. In simplest terms, a prison can also be described as a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed.
Lowell Correctional Institution is a women's prison in unincorporated Marion County, Florida, north of Ocala, in the unincorporated area of Lowell. A part of the Florida Department of Corrections, it serves as the primary prison for women in the state. Almost 3,000 women are incarcerated in the complex, which includes the Lowell Annex. As of 2015 2,696 women are in the main Lowell CI, making it the largest prison for women in the United States; its prison population became larger than that of the Central California Women's Facility that year.
Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Oklahoma. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite camp for minimum-security male offenders.
The Federal Correctional Institution is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Alabama. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also includes an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp that also houses male offenders.
Incarceration in Canada is one of the main forms of punishment, rehabilitation, or both for the commission of an indictable offense and other offenses.
A healing lodge is a Canadian correctional institution designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal inmates. Healing lodges were created to address the concern that traditional prisons do not work on aboriginal offenders. Aboriginals are over-represented in the prison system and are also more likely to be the victims of crime. In healing lodges, the focus is on healing and reconnecting with indigenous culture while inmates serve their sentences. Inmates receive programming and services based on "Aboriginal values, traditions, and beliefs". They also have access to spiritual guidance from Elders and are encouraged to maintain connections with their families and communities. Healing lodges were proposed as an alternative for Aboriginal female offenders, but there are now healing lodges for Aboriginal male offenders as well. Women's healing lodges are minimum/medium-security facilities, and men's healing lodges are minimum-security facilities.