Norways Alcatraz
This is our own version of Alcatraz, Bastøy fengsel. Well, not the same as Alcatraz, but a prison, located on an island in the middle of Oslofjorden, the similarity ends there.
Bastøy Prison (Norwegian: Bastøy fengsel) is a minimum-security prison on Bastøy Island, Norway, located in the Horten municipality about 75 km south of Oslo. The prison is on a 2.6 km2 island and hosts 115 inmates. Arne Kvernvik-Nilsen, governor of the prison, leads a staff of 69 prison employees. Of this staff, only 5 employees remain on the island overnight. The prison is about one hour commuting distance from Oslo.
Once a prison colony for young boys, the facility is trying to become "the first ecological prison in the world". Recidivism has been reported at 16%, compared to the European average of around 70%. Inmates are housed in wooden cottages and work the prison farm. During their free time, inmates have access to horseback riding, fishing, tennis, and cross-country skiing. The only access to the prison is from a ferry that departs from Horten.
Norways Alcatraz
This is our own version of Alcatraz, Bastøy fengsel. Well, not the same as Alcatraz, but a prison, located on an island in the middle of Oslofjorden, the similarity ends there.
Bastøy Prison (Norwegian: Bastøy fengsel) is a minimum-security prison on Bastøy Island, Norway, located in the Horten municipality about 75 km south of Oslo. The prison is on a 2.6 km2 island and hosts 115 inmates. Arne Kvernvik-Nilsen, governor of the prison, leads a staff of 69 prison employees. Of this staff, only 5 employees remain on the island overnight. The prison is about one hour commuting distance from Oslo.
Once a prison colony for young boys, the facility is trying to become "the first ecological prison in the world". Recidivism has been reported at 16%, compared to the European average of around 70%. Inmates are housed in wooden cottages and work the prison farm. During their free time, inmates have access to horseback riding, fishing, tennis, and cross-country skiing. The only access to the prison is from a ferry that departs from Horten.