Prisoner Rehabilitation according to Norway’s Correctional System Approach

Abstract

Norway’s criminal justice is classified to be one of the systems that human rights, humanity, and rehabilitation are strongly emphasized. It is considered as one of the most globally effective crime prevention systems with low recidivism rate and small number of prisoner population. This system is the consequence of the criminal justice reform initiated by the state government and public sector in the 1960s. The change from retributive punishment with harsh sanctions to the remedy restorative justice for the victim and community was achieved in conjunction with the offender rehabilitation attitude. According to the law of Norway, the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service is responsible for the sentences which alternative rehabilitation measures during the serving time are emphasized. Likewise, the prevention and reduction of recidivism are mainly considered. This legal code leads to five basic principles of the Norwegian correctional service; 1) the principle of normality, 2) the principle of humanity, 3) the legal certainty and equal treatment,      4) the concept of punishment, and 5) the prevention of new criminal acts. The punishment is only for the limitation of liberty, not the deprivation of the people’s fundamental rights in Norway. Therefore, the prisoners will be rehabilitated and reintegrated back to society with less isolation and less chance of recidivism.

            From the aforementioned Norway’s approach,    the problems of prisoner overpopulation and the constantly increasing rate of recidivism in Thailand can be adapted and focused in terms of rehabilitative punishment and social isolation reduction of                  the offenders. As a result, the reintegration of                the offenders can be successively achieved. Moreover, the restorative justice approach to redress the victims will be more emphasized.