Abstract
This article addresses rehabilitation, its conceptualisation by officers and inmates, and its expression in practice within a select Norwegian prison. It reports on findings from a qualitative interview-based research project conducted as a pilot study, whereby semi-structured interviews were conducted with inmates and officers at the prison. Furthermore, the authors examine the principle of rehabilitation as it follows from Norwegian law and assess how it is implemented in practice in a Norwegian prison. The preliminary findings from the study reveal factors—such as inmate isolation and mental health challenges, drug use, unequal treatment, and limited capacity and resources—that are impacting the effectiveness of what the prison has intended to achieve and ask for further research and discussion in this area.
Highlights
Crime prevention is understood as a central legal aim of the Norwegian criminal justice system
Doing so allows us to evaluate whether the legal aims of rehabilitation are being implemented in practice
The primary source of data collection was through the use of semi-structured interviews with inmates and officers at Viken Prison
Summary
Crime prevention is understood as a central legal aim of the Norwegian criminal justice system. One conceivable way of achieving this objective is by focusing on the rehabilitation of current inmates. It is not always clear what rehabilitation amounts to, or whether it is understood and implemented in accordance with legal intentions, especially since the selected methods by which to achieve rehabilitation may differ. It is imperative to examine both the aims and practices of rehabilitation, and to be aware of any variance between the two. Doing so allows us to evaluate whether the legal aims of rehabilitation are being implemented in practice.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have