These street art style murals are not on display at a gallery in New York. They are not on busy city streets or in metropolitan areas. In fact, chances are you will never see them in your entire life. They are by prominent Norwegian street artist Dolk Lundgren, Dolk for short, and they are proudly displayed… in prison?

Norway’s brand new Halden Prison is touted as the most modern prison in the world, boasting state of the art design, gym facilities, a kitchen for inmate cooking classes, and even a recording studio. Halden only holds 252 prisoners, each occupying his own “cell” complete with a view, flat screen TV, and private restroom. Each 10 to 12 inmates share a common living room, giving them the option to socialize with others as they would in any communal living environment.

The philosophy behind this luxury prison is that rehabilitation and reintegration into society is not achieved via strict punishment, but by humane treatment and respect. A.k.a. the exact opposite of the strategy at Eastern State Penitentiary, which failed miserably. Are Hoidal, the prison’s governor, describes the prison model:

“When they arrive, many of them are in bad shape,” Hoidal says, noting that Halden houses drug dealers, murderers and rapists, among others. “We want to build them up, give them confidence through education and work and have them leave as better people.” Countries track recidivism rates differently, but even an imperfect comparison suggests the Norwegian model works. Within two years of their release, 20% of Norway’s prisoners end up back in jail. In the U.K. and the U.S., the figure hovers between 50% and 60%. Of course, a low level of criminality gives Norway a massive advantage. Its prison roll lists a mere 3,300, or 69 per 100,000 people, compared with 2.3 million in the U.S., or 753 per 100,000 — the highest rate in the world.

It’s hard to argue with those statistics. Then again, logic tells us that criminals should not be rewarded for their behavior. We automatically balk at the idea of a prison cell being more well-appointed than a hard-working, law-abiding citizen’s home, and not without reason. But if this is the key to criminal reform, isn’t that what matters? 

Spotted at Time
Photo via mymodernmet

Lizzie