Norway To ‘Export’ 300 Prison Inmates To Dutch Jails To Cut Queues

 (OSLO, Norway)

Norway plans to export its prisoners to jails in the Netherlands to ease overcrowding and carry out urgent maintenance work, the government says.

It will rent up to 300 prison places from the Dutch, who already lease some of their extra capacity to Belgium.

Under the agreement, prisoners will be guarded by Dutch wardens, but the director will be Norwegian.

Norway has a current jail capacity shortage despite relatively low incarceration rates.

The nation is known for treating its inmates relatively humanely. Its non-violent offenders, for instance, are often held in open prisons with the freedom to move, work, enjoy recreational facilities and focus on rehabilitation.

However, according to a government analysis in 2013, there is now a backlog of renovation works needed that will cost an estimated NOK 4.4bn (£435m) and will involve temporarily shutting some jails or prison branches.

In addition, the growing queue of convicts needing prison spaces, which currently stands at 1300, is adding pressure to the demand on detention space.

(BBC)