We just left a maximum security prison in Halden, Norway, and I just want to cry, because it made me realize even more that we torture people in America’s prisons every single day. Here’s a thread of how to #reimagineprison
This prison attempts to replicate everyday life. People, regardless of the crime they were convicted of, have private rooms with bathrooms and showers and tv. There are common areas and outdoor yards that resemble a nice college campus. Residents cook meals and eat together.
The core principles that drive the prison is having a humanistic approach to people and to give residents a feeling of normalcy. 90% of the population served by Halden prison have mental health needs. 40% are immigrants.
In the words of the prison warden, the punishment is the restriction of liberty, but the person in prison should not be deprived of any other rights. They should be treated the same as all other people. Life in the prison should resemble life outside of prison
Solitary confinement is unheard of. Residents have free movement, constant access to daylight, the outdoors, windows and privacy, and ability to meet with their families and loved ones both in prison and outside.
And the prison sees it as their duty to provide services and make sure that when the person leaves prison they are ready for a successful life. This means housing, a job, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and even debt services.
There is constant dialogue between guards and residents, and violence is rare. Why? Because they treat people in a humane way. According to the warden, “You may like or dislike the way we do it, but it works.” Yes!
America: we must change. We cannot continue our system of mass incarceration. We must replace it with a system centered on human dignity and human values. There are models. It’s time to do it.
