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Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to transform San Quentin State Prison by modeling the prison system in Norway. But changing one facility will not accomplish the sort of wholesale reforms required to mirror the Norwegian criminal justice system.: What is the Norwegian approach to criminal justice?
Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled plans to turn San Quentin State Prison into a rehabilitation center by 2025. Committing $20 million to the project in his proposed 2023-2024 budget, Newsom said his goal is to transform San Quentin into “the preeminent restorative justice facility in the world.”
As the oldest prison in the state and the site where Californians on death row faced execution prior to Newsom’s 2019 moratorium, the selection of San Quentin to pilot a new Nordic-style prison model is steeped in symbolism.To overhaul how we define public safety in California, it requires an honest reckoning with the violence and racism inherent to U.S. policing and prison systems. Put another way, we can’t turn a light switch and adopt a care-first Nordic model without taking full stock of why prisons were built to function the way they do in America.
Norway's criminal justice system focuses on the principles of restorative justice and the rehabilitation of prisoners. Correctional facilities in Norway focus on maintaining custody of the offender and attempting to make them functioning members of society.
https://www.firststepalliance.org/post/norway-prison-system-lessons
Restorative justice is an approach to justice where one of the responses to a crime is to organize a meeting between the victim and the offender, sometimes with representatives of the wider community. The goal is for them to share their experience of what happened, to discuss who was harmed by the crime and how, and to create a consensus for what the offender can do to repair the harm from the offense
(Both victim and offender can be hesitant to engage in victim–offender dialogue later in the criminal justice process. Once an offender starts serving a sentence, they may believe that the sentence is how they take responsibility for their actions rather than conversing with the victim. For victims, the trial and the sentencing of the offender may terminate the possibilities for discussion. For both offender and victim, victim–offender dialogue is limited in the amount of trust between the two parties) https://learn.saylor.org/mod/book/view.php?id=30499&chapterid=6401
In the 1990’s, Norway had a problem. Roughly 70% of all released prisoners recommitted crimes within two years of release. That rate is nearly equal to the recidivism rate in the United States today. At that time, Norway’s prison system was structured similarly to the prison system in the United States. It was built on the idea that punishment is a deterrent. Prisoners were often given lengthy sentences in harsh conditions to send a message to others.
However, Norwegian lawmakers realized that the existing system wasn’t working. Crime was high, as was recidivism. Prisons were plagued with assaults, riots, and escapes. The system needed reform. Norway’s government acted boldly, completely overhauling the country’s prison system. Today, Norway's prison system has become a model for the rest of the world, and some states in the U.S. are following Norway’s lead. Norway’s recidivism rate is much lower and prisons are now safer and more peaceful.
Norway has 57 prisons with a total of 3,600 cells, 70% of which are high-security cells. The largest prison has 400 cells, while the smallest has only 15. The average Norwegian prison has 70 cells.One of the biggest differences between the incarceration systems of Norway and the USA is that Norway does not have large, centralized jails. Instead, Norway utilizes a system of small, community-based correctional facilities that focus on rehabilitation and reintegration into society. There’s a rehabilitative reason for having so many prisons in a relatively small country. The Norwegian government believes that incarcerated individuals should be geographically close to their homes, so they can maintain relationships with spouses, friends, and family. Many Norwegian prisons allow prisoners to have visitors up to three times per week. They even allow conjugal visits with spouses. There is a strong emphasis placed on relationships so that incarcerated individuals have a strong support system after their release. https://www.firststepalliance.org/post/norway-prison-system-lessons
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