Vision: Security and Diversity - with opportunities for everyone

NOW IN ENGLISH!

If you are reading this you will have noticed the English flag on the home page og our website. All articles on our Norwegian pages are also to be found on our English pages. One of our inmates, who comes originally from England, is our regular translator. A big thank you to him for his continuous efforts on our behalf!

Our translator has also written about his personal experiences in a UK prison, comparing the situation, as he found it, between prison life for inmates in Norway and England.

Director Are Høidal and the translator.

Prisoner in Norway and in Great Britain

Reflections and comparisons from an inmate at Oslo Prison.

To be suspected, charged and convicted for the first time, for something one is guilty of, far worse for something one is innocent of, can be an incredibly difficult and dramatic experience. And such is the case whether or not you 'deserve' the punishment, and whether you are from Norway, Nigeria, Lithuania, Serbia, Thailand, Bangladesh, the UK or other places. For the majority of first-time convicted prisoners, the new experience can be traumatic, no matter what your age.

And while captured in the whirlwind of the legal process leading to trial, it takes some considerable time before you are able to really accept the fact that this process is all about you. If the case is particularly serious, your family, business, social and cultural relations will never be the same again - from the point of your arrest, and whether you have been judged correctly or wrongfully. This is the situation irrespective of whether you experience 100% support from your family and friends, or not. Still worse, this situation may also apply for close relatives who believe in you and support you from outside the prison walls.

In the United Kingdom there is a further complication with far-reaching consequences for you and your family - press coverage including your name and address and often a photograph of you, even for less serious convictions.

Despite the shock and your first assumptions of the consequences for you, the family and your employment situation, you know you must be strong in every way, perhaps stronger mentally than physically. You soon come to realise too that the further fate of yourself and others depends on you sustaining a healthy balance between the physical, the mental and the spiritual.

You must be able to take care of others, not just yourself. You are painfully aware that your case has affected many others too. You know it is your responsibility, against the impossibility of being isolated from them, to find ways to offer them support. It becomes centrally important for you to maintain faith in the knowledge that you will manage to exercise this responsibility, if necessary with support from others.

Your achievements from here on depend largely on what degree of understanding, respect and support you experience from those responsible for your welfare, your further development and your ultimate fate: prison officers, prison program facilitators, prison educational and work staff, health personnel, department leaders, chaplains, probation workers, a whole number of other prison employees, lawyers too.

Gradually you must start to steer your way through the maize of complications while coping with a minefield of emotions, from within your new, seemingly hopeless position. You have become suspicious of others - people in positions of power, authoritatively or physically, whether prison staff or inmates.

Your thoughts of yourself are not at all good at this early stage - guilty or not guilty, judged correctly or wrongfully. But it is exactly when you have reached the lowest point, and you feel you do not deserve respect from anyone, that you need to meet it most in others. Not just for your own sake, but also for those back home who depend on your encouragement and support, no matter what other thoughts fly past their minds.

As an inmate, you are mostly in contact with prison officers. Values such as mutual respect and mutual understanding may seem inappropriate and impossible to achieve when the one part is judged to be a criminal and the other remains a 'good citizen' with no previous offences. Nevertheless, everyone knows that a positive period of imprisonment and an effective rehabilitation back into the community depends on the day-to-day deployment of these mutual values.

After spending over two years as an inmate in two prisons in England and Wales, a number of days at two other prisons in England, and many months as inmate at Oslo Prison, after finally being permitted to be repatriated to my home country, I have had ample opportunity to compare how respect and understanding is exercised by prison employees on both sides of the North Sea. I have also seen how the picture varies among inmates, and as inmate myself I try to reflect regularly on my own performance in these matters, within the prison community. But I am aware too that my own experiences are bound to be very different from those of many others in certain areas. As individuals our experiences are invariably different. We stand on different ground, in different life phases, from different regions and with a collective myriad of backgrounds.

I was challenged to offer my personal reflections on differences between my periods in UK prisons and my period at Oslo Prison in Norway. The comparison would have been more illustrative if I had based it on isolated, dramatic incidents, but it would also be too individualised. Therefore I chose instead to offer my general impressions and to avoid emotive issues experienced under tragic circumstances.

Hopefully, the comparison (below) will contribute to improvements here and there, for the benefit of both inmates and prison employees. There are (all too) many prisons in the UK, and my experience of them is somewhat limited. That being said, I recognise many of my own comments from other inmates, and employees, both in the UK and in Norway, and also from the British prison newspaper "Inside Time". I believe the total picture will be easily recognisable.

The comparison is not at all based on empirical data. It is unashamedly subjective. It represents my own observations and experiences, with contributions from no other sources. I have elected to present the picture in table format for ease of use. The result is a kind of superficial 'benchmarking' of generic practice in both places.

I have tried to include aspects that I consider important for employees and inmates. As a prison has a wide range of systems and processes, I have probably just skated over the surface of it all. As to scoring of the different parameters and deciding on 'the winner', I leave this to readers. Besides, 'best' or 'worst' has no value here. Improved mutual respect across all person categories springs from an awareness of the current picture and a conscious effort to seize improvement potential.

My observations in prison have demonstrated clearly how easy it is to destroy someone's self-identity and self-respect. It seems the effect can be particularly damaging on the inside of the prison walls, but also for isolated, weaker individuals on the outside. Among tools used - unconsciously or deliberately - are abuse of authority and power, selfishness, negligence, impulsive acts, careless chat and exploitation of weaknesses in others. This holds for relations between inmates, between employees and across both categories. Use of shabby uniforms for inmates, and being screamed at repeatedly by use of a prison number and surname, instead of being approached calmly using your first name, worsens the situation.

One can only speculate on what the consequences can be for those individuals leaving prison with an even worse degree of self-respect and self-identity than they had at the beginning of their period of custody, and in turn, what consequences for society can eventually materialise if the situation is common.

Careless or disrespectful behaviour from one employee can destroy the good efforts and intentions of the majority. The same is true among inmates. Good relations and a successful rehabilitation from day one in prison are both at stake.

The environment and culture of the prison is influenced significantly by the nature of interpersonal relations within and across the different person categories. If careless, or even deliberately disrespectful, behaviour becomes an unofficially established norm, on a prison wing, the internal environment and the mental strain for many inmates and employees becomes unbearable. There can be no doubt whatsoever that there is a significant difference between Norway and the UK in this area - at least, based on my own experiences.

The table (below) points to improvement potential on both sides of the North Sea. Since the performance of all activities varies - short-term and long-term - reliable mechanisms for keeping variation within acceptable norms are essential. Most important of all are the values, principles and attitudes of the prison system. These shape a prison's internal systems, processes and behaviour.

#	What is compared	England and Wales	Norway
1.	To approach an officer for help can be experienced as...	… difficult, humiliating and insulting should certain officers be on duty. It can also be uncomplicated if you're lucky.	… easy and uncomplicated, normally.
2.	Messages from officers are received by …	… the officer shouting your surname and prison number so that everyone on your wing (approx. 85 inmates) can hear that you have been summoned for something or other.	… the officer looks for you to give you the message privately and individually.
3.	Incoming post is notified by …	… displaying a list of who has received post today. Those who fail to collect their post within approx. 30 mins. are normally shouted out by surname and prison number.	… the officer delivers it personally to your cell, or looks for you to hand it over.
4.	In daily contact with officers, inmates' self-respect …	… can often be undermined, even damaged, when certain officers frequently communicate in an insulting, 'humorous' or assertive manner, sometimes in the company of other inmates or staff. Such examples of abuse of authority cause certain inmates to be suspicious of all improvement measures offered by the prison, and to have less trust in employees in other areas. The distance between inmates and officers increases in these circumstances.	… is protected by virtually all officers making a conscious effort to treat inmates as they treat all other persons.
5.	There is a huge difference between officers regarding the degree of care, support and respect.	Yes, varies greatly. Some officers are highly competent and aware of their professional responsibilities. Others make jokes and clown around all day long, often at the expense of inmates.	No, natural differences in approaches are reduced by adopting a uniform and conscious attitude.
6.	There are many good officers who adopt a professional attitude in their contact with prisoners and in relation to their daily work tasks otherwise.	Yes	Yes
7.	There is a relatively large degree of mutual respect across inmates and employees.	Varies considerably on both sides - at times hugely disappointing.	Appears to vary little - stable situation.

8.	Officers have normally good knowledge, not only on security conditions and main prison and legal procedures, but also on main internal procedures related to care, health, work, visits and welfare in general.	Some of them, yes. Most are mainly focused on security, restrictions and demands. (seems to reflect the country's existing attitude to prisoners)	Yes, in most cases.
9.	Officers are always in the immediate vicinity for support, security and advice.	No	Yes
10.	There are frequent examples of officers behaving in a disrespectful manner towards inmates.	Yes	No
11.	When inmates approach officers to ask advice, this is normally given within a reasonable time-frame, in a polite manner, and to the best of their ability.	Certainly not always.	Yes
12.	Officers circulate among inmates.	No, mainly just for control.	Yes
13.	How comprehensive is the basic training course for prison officers?	Approx. 1 year, but many instances where this is reduced to a few months. This seems to be the case where persons are recruited direct from the military. It also appears to be the case in regions with a shortage of officers.	Two years. Recommendations and plans have been submitted to extend the duration of training to three years.
14.	Daily fresh-air on the exercise yard lasts for …	… 25-30 min. (established rule is 60 min.)	55-65 min. (established rule is 60 min.)
15.	If it rains (a little or a lot) daily exercise is cancelled.	Yes, always.	No, daily exercise in fresh-air, in sun, rain, snow or storm.
16.	The food holds a generally good standard.	The choice is much greater than in Norway, but the quality is not so good.	Yes
17.	You get fresh wholemeal bread daily.	No	Yes, generally.
18.	You get fresh milk daily.	No. Only if you choose breakfast cerea. Then you get approx. 2 dl.	Yes, 5 dl carton with screw-top delivered to everyone.
19.	You get tea-bags, coffee and jam regularly.	Only teabags, coffee and jam must be purchased by the inmate, although small jam capsules are handed out on occasions.	Yes, you can help yourself from the dept.'s kitchen area.

20.	You get fresh fruit often or you can buy it yourself.	Yes, you get an apple or an orange daily. You can order and buy other fruits.	No, you get one apple, or one banana or one orange weekly. But you can order and buy other fruits from a large range.
21.	Food is eaten …	… in your cell.	… together in the department (or in your cell if you prefer).
22.	To collect food …	… you must stand in a long queue leading to the servery area at each mealtime.	… there is self-service in your department.
23.	Lunch and dinner choices consist of hot meals.	Yes	No. Hot meal once per day - dinner. No choice except for vegetarians.
24.	Inmates can use the dept.'s kitchen to make their own meals.	No	Yes
25.	Telephone cards can be purchased at reasonable prices.	Can be purchased, but at very unreasonable prices. Considerable dissatisfaction among the country's inmates.	Yes
26.	Fresh sandwich fillers (meat, cheese, etc.) distributed daily.	No, never (hot meals or salads or ready-made sandwiches consisting of processed food).	Yes. Fresh, sealed packets to each inmate most days.
27.	Letters and envelopes …	… must be ordered weekly from the prison's 'kiosk' and paid for (except for the weekly ration of one free letter-sheet and one envelope).	… free of charge and can be collected from the dept. office. Can also be purchased weekly from the prison 'kiosk'.
28.	Single cells with writing desk, wardrobe, single bed, and large windows with good airing possibilities.	No, normally double cells unless you have a life-sentence. Older prisons have small windows that can be very difficult to open. Bunk beds. Limited space for writing and generally. No desk lamps.	Yes
29.	One experiences that enquiries to the wing (dept.) office, verbally or in written form, are usually taken seriously and prioritised reasonably.	As a rule, yes. But if the matter seems complicated the follow-up is frequently bad and feedback lacking.	Yes, as a rule you are informed of how the matter is progressing if you need to ask for its status.
30.	The prison chaplains do an invaluable job regarding services and the general welfare of prisoners.	Yes, very good.	Yes, very good.
31.	The prison has its own chapel which inmates can visit regularly.	Yes. Inmates can visit the chapel whenever they like during free association time, or at least twice weekly. (the situation varies from prison to prison)	No-shared room with the library. Attendance only during organized and escorted fellowship.
32.	Different weekly services for different religions.	Yes, consistently. For Anglicans, Catholics, Muslims, Quakers, Buddhists.	No, interdenominational services voluntarily.

33.	Members in external organizations (church, missions, red cross, etc.) participate regularly in activities with inmates.	Yes	Yes
34.	The prison has its own inmate group who are trained by external volunteers to listen to other inmates who are deeply concerned, in danger of becoming suicidal, likely to harm themselves, or just need someone other than an officer to talk to.	Yes («The Listeners» who receive education and training by the nationwide organization: «The Samaritans». Approx. 8 «listeners» for 260 inmates. Weekly meetings with «The Samaritans», local dept.	No
35.	It seems that the country's justice system and government politicians attempt to show regard, not only to demands from the press, media, prison authorities and public (voters), but also to needs prisoners have for an effective rehabilitation, for respect, and for fair treatment.	No, too easily influenced by demands from the press, media and public. Avoid an all-inclusive long-term strategy for prison reform and treatment of prisoners. This concerns conditions during prison custody and the introduction of rehabilitation measures, where risks are perceived. Often refer to prisoners one-sidedly negatively. Main focus on security, protection of the public, punishment and continued judgment of inmates.	Yes, more balanced approach. Try systematically to defend inmates' needs for gradual rehabilitation, for respect and fair treatment. At the same time aware of victims' needs and the need for public protection. Rehabilitation needs are weighed up against security risks for each individual inmate (as in UK). The difference appears to lie in Norway's proactive approach to rehabilitation from day one in prison. Concerning rehabilitation, there seems to be considerable discontent among certain inmate categories, especially inmates served with deportation orders, or who are persistent re-offenders. This is to be found in the UK too.
36.	Visits from the family and friends take place in …	… a common visiting room together with many other inmates and their families. Café style tables and chairs. Visitors can buy drinks, beverages and chocolate from a kiosk manned by person from a voluntary organization. («Womens' Royal Voluntary Service» - WRVS)	… your own private visiting room, for you and your family / friends. The room is furnished with two modern sofas, an armchair, wall lamps, a fan and framed pictures.
37.	You can receive visits from relatives and friends …	… once per fortnight. (visits last for two hours) If visitors come from far off, or from abroad, they can apply for longer visiting time.	… weekly. (visits last for one hour) If visitors come from far off, or from abroad, they can apply for longer visiting time.

38.	Average wages for inmates participating in education or work is approx. …	… 120 kroner per week. (telephone charges and prison shop prices are considerably higher than what is normal 'outside')	… 260 kroner per week. (telephone charges and prison shop prices are quite reasonable even though they are higher what is normal 'outside')
39.	Prices for goods ordered from the prison 'kiosk' (internal shop scheme), compared with the cheapest supermarket chain, are approx. …	… between 20-60% higher. (depends on product)	… between 5-35% higher. (depends on product)
40.	You can visit inmates on other wings during evening and week-end association time.	Yes. Wings are not locked in from each other. All wings and floors can be visited by inmates. Advantages & disadvantages with this arrangement.	No. Wings and floors are separated from each other in order to protect the different needs and programme activities that each dept. has. Advantages & disadvantages with this arrangement.
41.	Inmates can apply for home leave (shorter periods outside) after they have served 1/3 del of their sentences, and also in order to visit specialists if necessary.	No. No home leave arrangements for closed prisons.	Yes
42.	External activities are arranged periodically, together with officers, for those who already qualify for home-leave. (e.g. to visit football matches).	No	Yes
43.	The prison is responsible for the Education Dept. and the teachers are prison employees.	Yes	No, run by separate adult education centre, using rooms in the prison.
44.	The Education Dept. is open throughout the summer period.	Yes, but closed for a week in August. Teachers take holidays on staggered basis (some overlapping necessary).	No, the Education Dept. is closed for two months (from the last week in June until the last few weeks of August).
45.	The education activities are experienced by inmates as being generally satisfactory.	Yes, but varies significantly from prison to prison.	Yes, but varies considerably from prison to prison.
46.	The Education Dept. has its own Student Council that decides on improvement recommendations from different classes.	Yes. Monthly meetings.	Ja. Monthly meetings.

47.	Evening classes are arranged.	Yes - nature studies, art, local history, geography, environment, playwriting, poetry, etc. Two evenings per week.	No.
48.	The Education Dept.'s computer equipment is moderen and user-friendly.	Yes, 'Smart-Board' technology is also installed in some prisons, with LCD-projectors in classrooms too.	Yes, but no 'Smart-Board' technology, although LCD-projectors in some classrooms.
49.	Students can seek relevant study information via the internet/intranet.	No, but at some prisons you can order web-printouts from a local educational establishment that coordinates the prison students' needs vis-a-vis external libraries and universities. Representatives visit the prison weekly.	You can access encyclopedias and newspapers on the intranet. Further improvements pending. (common for most prisons in Norway).
50.	Free (association) time is cancelled and all inmates are locked in their cells in the event of an inmate having to be escorted to hospital during evenings or weekends.	Yes, occurs approx. 6 times per month. Can be several times weekly. Noticeably many incidents on Friday evenings.	No
51.	Training instructors organize and monitor each group that trains or participates in organized sports activities.	Yes.	No, officers supervise, mainly.
52.	The prison seeks regular cooperation with other prisons and prison authorities abroad and in Norway.	Yes, participation in meetings and seminars, also visits to other visits in the UK. Contact with foreign prisons and prison authorities seems limited to national management level.	Yes, frequent visits to and from abroad and within Norway.
53.	The prison has its own library service with a librarian.	Yes. The library is approx. 40m2 for approx. 260 inmates. Run by one member of the teaching staff, but manned by approx. 4 inmates.	Yes. The library is run by an external county library service. The prison has two libraries, each approx. 250m2 for approx. 500 inmates. There are 2-3 librarians - employed by the county council library service. Altogether approx. 5 inmates function as library assistants.
54.	When inmates move from their cells to work or education …	… they must stand in long queues in the centre area (where wings meet) at 0820 each morning (weekdays) and 1340 each afternoon.	… they wait for a message on their personal intercoms (in each cell). They then proceed directly accompanied by staff.

55.	The times for waking and locking up inmates for the night are …	0730: 7 days a week 2030: weekdays 1800: at week-ends	0700: weekdays. 0900: week-ends. 1900 or 2030: 7 days a week
56.	There is a TV with approx. 5 channels in each cell.	Yes	Yes
57.	The prison classifies inmates according to their behaviour in prison. Different privileges are granted to different categories.	Yes. The normal categories are: «Enhanced» status. «Standard» status. «Basic» status. New inmates start at «Standard» status. After 3-6 months you may apply for «Enhanced» status. If you breech prison rules you may be reduced to «Basic» status.	No. But if you breech prison rules you may lose privileges.
58.	There is extensive use of 'OASYS Risk Assessment' and different treatment programmes for the different categories of inmates, and in relation to each inmate's offences.	Yes. But the debate over the effectiveness of the OASYS tool continues in the UK. Many professionals assert that OASYS is practised unprofessionally and superficially by some prison officers and by probation staff, with varying consequences. A number of debates over whether the results can be relied upon. Evaluations conducted by professional consultants for the Home Office in recent years have demonstrated that they are unreliable on certain points for certain categories and age groups of offenders. Questions have also been interpreted differently by OASYS administrators. Too little time is allotted to the evaluation process and inmates are frequently not involved enough in the assessment process. The treatment programmes include courses for different offender categories and 'Enhanced Thinking Skills'.	The OASYS tool is known but appears to be practised to a much lesser degree within Norwegian prisons. There are a number of treatment programmes on offer.

59.	Inmates can use their own clothes and keep them in their cells.	No. Private clothes are kept in central prison stores.Prison clothes (uniform) must be worn by all. You get: 2 striped shirts 4 pairs socks 5 pairs boxer shorts 1 pair jeans 1 jogging trouser 5 vests 1 sweater 1 pai shoes 1 pair gym (canvas) shoes 1 gym shorts All clothes are marked with the prison's logo in large red letters. The clothes are often old, and have been used by many others before you. You can wear your own sports and free-time clothes during the evening and at weekends, if they have been ordered from a prison catalogue. They cannot be worn during visits.	Yes.
60.	Laundry shift takes place…	… weekly by inmates rolling their dirty clothes in a sheet, together with their towel and pillow-case, and then standing in a long queue for approx. 15-20 minutes to changem them. When exchanging clothes you must shout out your laundry number and what you intend to change.	… weekly by inmates changing towels and bed-clothing themselves from/to sacks placed in each dept. Private clothes are changed on a different day of the week.The clothes are gathered and transported to the laundry by an inmate.