Viking Magazine - May 2011 - 24

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Incorporating the landscape
was fundamental to the design.
" Landscape helps remind that
you are part of something bigger, "
says Hansen, " and helps to
minimize the institutional feel. "
There's no mistaking the purpose
of the concrete perimeter wall,
but trees both inside the wall
and out provide continuity and
connection between life inside
Halden and the world beyond it.
Residential buildings are in a
In harmony with
the landscape, Bastøy's
primary approach to
rehabilitation is ecological.
higher, forested area of the site
and connect by a curved walking
path to a lower, flatter area
with communal buildings. To preserve
a human scale, EMA designed all the
buildings no more than two stories high.
Individual cells of about 130 square feet
resemble dorm rooms, with natural wood
finishes, large windows allowing lots of
natural light, private bath and television.
Living areas are finished in bright colors
and are grouped in " family " units of 10
to 12 that share common living space and
kitchen; here inmates share responsibilities
for tasks such as cooking, cleaning
and getting along.
As they might in real society, prisoners
walk from their home area to work each
day. Halden's communal area includes
workshops, education space, a gym
with climbing wall and a training room,
library, music area and studio and a nondenominational
chapel, all surrounding
a large sports field. Large-scale art by
a Norwegian graffiti artist (and former
prisoner) decorates the concrete walls and
high security spaces, lightening the atmosphere
with a subtle sense of irony.
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But landscape and architecture alone can't
rehabilitate. Halden staff actively seeks
opportunities for inmates to collaborate
with their larger community. Administrators
recently forged ties with the organizers
of Grenserittet 2011, an 80-kilometer
August bicycle race that starts in Sweden
and ends in Halden, resulting in contracts
for bike racks from the welding shop,
100 posters from the print shop and more
ideas in the works. Are Høidal, Halden
governor, comments in a blog post, " the
inmates make a positive contribution to
specific projects in the community. It's
motivating for them to be a part of creating
something that will benefit others. "
Many inmates are working on apprenticeships
and trade certificates, and
at its one-year anniversary on March 1,
Halden granted its first trade certificate to
a Halden inmate, a welder. This is about
" having a better starting point, after a
long stay behind bars, when you go out
into society, " comments Høidal. " With
a good release work plan in addition to
this trade certificate, the opportunities
to make the transition from prison to
freedom are considerably better. "
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Forty-eight miles to the northwest, the
small island prison of Bastøy in Oslofjord
offers another surprising example of how
landscape and architecture can join to
become a means of rehabilitation. No
need for a perimeter wall at Bastøy-the
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AT A GLANCE:
Criminal Justice
in Norway
Viking Magazine - May 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - May 2011
