Law & Crime Flashcards
What We Can Learn From Norway’s Prison System: Rehabilitation & Recidivism
In the 1990s, Norway faced a prison crisis, with recidivism rates reaching nearly 70%—comparable to the current rate in the United States. At the time, its prison system resembled the U.S. model, emphasizing punishment over rehabilitation. However, after recognizing that this punitive approach led to high crime rates, violence in prisons, and rampant reoffending, Norwegian lawmakers enacted sweeping reforms. They replaced large, centralized prisons with smaller, community-based facilities focused on rehabilitation and reintegration. Today, Norway boasts the world’s lowest recidivism rate at just 20% within two years of release. The country’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that incarceration should remove liberty, not dignity. As Norwegian prison governor Are Hoidal explained, “In Norway, the punishment is to take away someone’s liberty. The other rights stay.”
Facilities like Halden, Bastoy, and Ullersmo prisons reflect this approach, offering humane conditions, education, job training, and frequent family contact. Life sentences were abolished and replaced with capped sentences—mostly under a year, even for serious offenses. This approach has led to a measurable drop in crime and higher post-release employment. However, Norway’s model may be difficult to replicate elsewhere. The system enjoys widespread public support and costs over $90,000 per prisoner annually, nearly triple what the U.S. spends. While some U.S. states, like Oregon and North Dakota, are exploring similar reforms, broader adoption would require a major cultural shift away from retribution and toward rehabilitation—something Norway has embraced, but many other countries have not.
🔢 Recidivism Rates (Reoffending)
Before reforms (1990s):
Norway’s recidivism rate was 60–70% within two years of release — similar to the U.S. today.
After reforms (current):
2-year recidivism rate: 20%
5-year recidivism rate: 25%
Lowest recidivism rate in the world
📉 Crime & Incarceration Trends
Crime reduction:
While exact national crime rate drops are not quantified in the article, the low recidivism and fewer people in prison point to significant crime reduction.
Incarceration rate:
Norway has one of the lowest incarceration rates in the world:
54 people per 100,000 population
By comparison, the U.S. has over 600 per 100,000
Prison population trend:
The number of incarcerated individuals in Norway has been declining steadily in recent years.
💼 Employment After Prison
Employment impact:
Prisoners who were unemployed before incarceration experience a 40% increase in employment after release, due to vocational training and education received in prison.
💸 Cost Per Inmate
Norway:
$93,000 per inmate per year (focus on rehabilitation, education, therapy, etc.)
United States:
$31,000 per inmate per year (more punitive, less rehabilitative focus)
Recidivism refers to the tendency of a person who has been convicted of a crime to reoffend, usually after being released from incarceration. In simpler terms, it measures how often people released from prison get arrested, convicted, or sent back to prison again.
🔁 Common ways recidivism is measured:
Rearrest: The person is arrested again for any offense.
Reconviction: The person is found guilty in court for a new crime.
Reincarceration: The person is sent back to prison, either for a new crime or for violating parole/probation.
📊 Example:
If 100 people are released from prison, and 40 of them are convicted of new crimes within two years, the recidivism rate is 40%.
💡 Why it matters:
Recidivism rates help governments and justice systems understand:
How effective their prisons are at rehabilitating people
Whether released prisoners are prepared to reintegrate into society
What policies or programs may help reduce reoffending
In places like Norway, recidivism is low (about 20% within 2 years) because the focus is on rehabilitation, education, and reintegration—rather than punishment alone. In contrast, the U.S. has a much higher rate, often around 60-70%, especially when punishment is prioritized over support or services.
