The Principle of Normality in Norway
The principle of normality is a guiding principle used by the Norwegian Correctional Service that aims to make life in prison as similar to life outside of prison as possible, while still maintaining necessary security measures.
The key aspects of the principle are:
- The punishment is only the restriction of liberty, and no other rights are removed. Prisoners retain the same rights as other citizens, such as the right to vote and access to public services like healthcare and education.
- Prisoners are placed in the lowest security regime necessary for public safety. No one shall serve their sentence under stricter circumstances than needed.
- Life inside prison should resemble life outside as much as possible. The import model is used to achieve this, where public services like education and healthcare are provided by the same local providers as in the community.
The principle of normality has two main purposes in Norway:
- It is a humane approach that recognizes prisoners as full citizens.
- It helps reduce recidivism by preparing prisoners for a normal life after release and creating safer communities.
The principle is limited by security needs, as well as infrastructure and financial constraints. However, the Norwegian Correctional Service aims to apply the principle as much as possible, with a focus on reintegration and rehabilitation. This is supported by a high staff to prisoner ratio and extensive training for prison officers in ethics and humanistic approaches.
Pratt, J. (2008). Scandinavian exceptionalism in an era of penal excess. Part I: The nature and roots of Scandinavian exceptionalism. The British Journal of Criminology, 48(2), 119-137.