Prison doesn't mean torture in Norway

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On Labor Day weekend, more than 100 inmates at Stillwater prison refused to return to their cells. They did not threaten the guards, but simply continued playing cards and enjoying their recreation time instead of returning to their cells.

The inmates' civil disobedience was motivated by three grievances. First, inmates were subjected to extreme heat as the temperatures reached the 90s and they had no air conditioning. Second, inmates do not have clean water for drinking and showering. While the DOC is currently testing the drinking water at MCF-Stillwater, a 2019 study found the water contained five cancerous contaminants which exceeded federal guidelines. Inmates report the water being brown. Third, inadequate staffing led to unannounced lockdowns and cuts in visitation hours.

The protest at MCF-Stillwater this month reflects long-standing issues in the Minnesota prison system. In March, the DOC reported three corrections officers at MCF-Stillwater were assaulted by inmates. An officer at the Oak Park Heights facility had his nose broken by an inmate that same week. In 2018, corrections officer Joseph Gomm was killed by an inmate in the metal shop at MCF-Stillwater. Put simply, it is a bad time to be an inmate or a corrections officer in Minnesota.

Few would argue the prison system in Minnesota is working. Most importantly, Minnesota prisons are failing at one of their most important functions — rehabilitating prisoners into functioning members of society. Nearly 80% of people released from Minnesota prisons will commit a new offense within five years. This high recidivism rate leads to higher crime rates and millions of extra taxpayer dollars spent on prisons and court costs.

DOC Research Director Grant Duwe estimates that a 1% drop in recidivism for ex-prisoners would save taxpayers $5 million on prisons alone.

It is clear Minnesota's prisons are dangerous for inmates and guards alike, and are failing at rehabilitating prisons. New ideas are needed. However, the solutions proposed have not matched the scale of the problem. The prison system remains underfunded and understaffed. The Legislature has passed modest reforms, such as making phone calls for inmates free, but these reforms are too small to seriously improve Minnesota prisons. Bold ideas are needed to make prisons more humane for inmates, safer for corrections officers and still affordable for taxpayers.

It seems fitting that these new ideas may come from the spiritual homeland of many Minnesotans — Scandinavia. Earlier this year, I joined a group of Minnesota law students on a tour of Halden Prison in Norway. Advertised as "the Most Humane Prison in the World," Halden has received worldwide attention for its luxurious accommodations.

Its prison cells resemble college dorm rooms, complete with mini fridges, TVs and an unbarred window with a nice view of the Norwegian forest. Prisoners cook meals (with loosely supervised access to sharp knives) and eat together with the guards.

Perhaps the most stunning fact about Halden Prison is that the recidivism rate in Norway is 25%, about one-third that in the U.S. Using the DOC's calculation, a 25% recidivism rate in Minnesota would save taxpayers $275 million in prison costs alone.

Norway's prison system is based on principles which can be applied here in Minnesota: humanity, normality, dynamic security and reintegration into society. All of these principles can be boiled down to one idea: Life in prison should resemble life outside prison. When inmates are treated like animals, they cannot suddenly transform into functioning members of society upon release. When inmates are given a good quality of life, an education, and high-quality mental health and addiction treatment, they can get out of prison and stay out.

Giving a higher quality of life to inmates is also good for corrections officers. The reforms made to the Norwegian system were a response to several high-profile killings of corrections officers. Since Halden Prison was opened in 2010, there has not been a single assault against an officer. Corrections officers are safer, and they also report higher levels of job satisfaction and have higher levels of job retention.

Norway's world-class prisons should be a guiding light.

Buchanan Waller, of Plymouth, is a law student at the University of Minnesota.