Applying the principle of ‘soft and tight tie’, prisoners can comfortably exercise in the gym and receive a monthly salary, living as comfortable as a vacation.
Established in 1982, located on the island of Bastoy, off the coast of Oslo, Norway, Bastoy prison is “home” to 115 prisoners, including many different types of criminals. However, this is not “hell on earth” as many people think.
At Bastoy prison, inmates do not have to go through prison life like other places. Here, they are free to wear comfortable clothes instead of prison clothes, they also do not have to live in a cramped space behind bars but have their own room, live under the same roof and use the same space. spacious kitchen with other prisoners.
Every day, prisoners make their own food from food bought at the local supermarket and receive a subsidy of 90 USD (more than 2 million VND) for each month in prison. And yet, prisoners also receive a salary of about 8 USD per day for work including farming, tending horses, repairing bicycles, making furniture and maintaining facilities on the island. Even everyone here will be able to attend classes and training courses to improve skills.
Not only literally “eating well, dressing well”, in their free time, prisoners have the opportunity to visit churches, schools or libraries and participate in recreational activities such as horseback riding, gym, etc. fishing, playing tennis, sunbathing in summer and sauna in winter.
Also because the “prison life” in this island is so different, so the work of the security staff here is also very leisurely. However, to get this job, they have to spend 3 years training their skills as a social worker instead of simply being a rigid prison officer.
“Not only is it a wonderful re-education site, a beautiful island, but Bastoy prison is also a place for prisoners to change themselves. The security officers here play a very important role because they are both social workers and undertake the duties of prison guards. They all believe in their work and the difference their work makes,” Arne Kvernvik Nilsen, head of Bastoy prison, a former minister and psychologist, told the Guardian.
Mr. Nilsen has revolutionary thoughts on how prisons should be run. Not all prisons in Norway operate in this strange way. However, all follow one principle, which is to deprive the prisoner of his freedom. Accordingly, the law in Norway does not have a life sentence or death sentence.
Mr. Nilsen said. “Loss of freedom is the ultimate punishment for criminals. When incarcerated, our focus should be on reducing the risk they will pose to society after their release from prison.”
Also, thanks to the application of the “soft and tight” principle, the recidivism rate of prisoners in this country is also very low, accounting for only 30%. Particularly in Bastoy prison, this rate is only 16%, much lower than other prisons in Europe.
Mr. Nilsen said: “For many criminals, sometimes punishment is never enough. Instead, they need some kind of help to see the mistake again. Punishment cannot cure the crime. their fault.”
However, the Bastoy prison model is still the subject of mixed controversy. Many people believe that treating prisoners well is not a major factor in whether they will re-offend.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: genk.vn – Read the original article here
