The Norden

In this six-part series, we look at the Nordic welfare model from an outsider’s perspective. In this episode Conway, a former U.S. prison chief got the shock of his life after visiting a correctional facility in Norway and discovering that even hardened criminals are afforded a lifestyle far removed from that on offer back at home. ‛I’m having a hard time believing that I’m in a prison.’ Beyond his concerns about safety, Conway, who worked at Halden correctional facility for 38 years, was also surprised by the luxury items available to prisoners including an Xbox and a recording studio. ‛I know there are a lot of education and vocational programmes to prepare inmates for work on the outside, but I must say I’ve never seen anything like this’, he admits.