Norway Prison: Is Massacre Suspect Breivik Headed to a Posh 'Prison Suite'? (PHOTOS)
Anders Behring Breivik, the man who has admitted to the Oslo, Norway bombing and shooting spree that killed 76 people on Friday, is currently in police custody. Breivik was transported to Ila prison on Wednesday in an unmarked black Volkswagen for the start of a four-week spell in isolation as prosecutors and police continue to build a case against him.
Breivik faces 21 years in prison - the stiffest sentence a Norwegian judge can hand down. He will likely spend that time at Halden Prison. The maximum security facility is home to Norway's "most hardened criminals," such as murderers and rapists.
According to The Daily Mail, Halden Prison has bathrooms in each individual "suite," windows with a view, mini refrigerators, flat-screen televisions and access to a gym with rock climbing wall, public lounge and kitchen. With 252 inmates, each suite looks remarkably similar to an IKEA showroom.
"To avoid an institutional feel, exteriors are not concrete but made of bricks, galvanized steel and larch. And while there is one obvious symbol of incarceration - a 20-foot concrete security wall along the prison's perimeter - trees obscure it," said architect Hans Henrik Hoilund.
Norway believes in rehabilitating prisoners by teaching skills to better reintegrate them into society. The Halden facility has a number of occupational training centers, including a recording studio and a teaching kitchen.
"In the Norwegian prison system, there's a focus on human rights and respect," said governor Are Hoidal at the opening of Halden Fengsel a year ago.
"We want to build them up, give them confidence through education and work and have them leave as better people."
While the rate of recidivism in the United States and England hovers around 50 percent, the number of prisoners re-incarcerated after their release stands at just 20 percent in Norway.
Here's a peek into the "world's most humane prison:"
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.