Whoever said prison time was tough probably never served his or her time in the newly built Norwegian prison. The prison cost $252 million and is a state of the art hotel prison. I know it’s probably going to sound kind of odd, but in Sweden we have these prisons as well and the sentences that the judges deal out for the same crimes Americans get the death penalty for, here is about 10-15 years. The Nordic countries are heavily focused on rehabilitation and finding ways to free criminals from their disorders thus setting these sentences.
So, what does a Nordic prison look like? Since I have never been in one, I can’t tell you. I’ve also never been in an American one, but I managed to find some pictures that show you exactly what the differences are between the two. First of all, each cell has it’s own desk, bathroom, wall mounted flatscreen TV and kitchen. When I look at these pictures, they very much resemble a modest hotel in some ways.
For recreational purposes there is also a small recording studio, library, and an in house basketball court/gymnastics hall with a climbing wall. Also there is an outside courtyard with windows instead of fences and walls. So yeah, it’s a bit more fancy… for sure.
However, always remember that if you’re in prison you’re never free to go wherever you want. You are in there with other prisoners that have murdered, raped and maimed their victims. If anything, I wouldn’t call that a hotel, but I could be wrong. At least that’s not the experience I have had from hotels around the world, but the again, I am not planning on finding out either… lol!
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