DISCUSSION: Prison Conditions in Norway UPDATE 20.04.2016 Just a little update on the case. Anders Behring Breivik did win the lawsuit against Norway. "The court (...) has concluded that the prison conditions constitute inhuman treatment," the Oslo district court says. They mean that it is a violation of article 3 in the European Convention on Human Rights, which goes like this: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Mr. Breivik making a salute on first day of the lawsuit. In the past days, a matter has been discussed and the debated the media here in Norway, and also in other countries all over the world. It is about the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the attacks against Norway in 2011, where he killed 77 people, mostly youths. Now, he is in a lawsuit against Norway because he means that the prison conditions violate the human rights. In an article from New York Times it says the following: "He lives in a three-room suite with windows, about 340 square feet, that includes a treadmill, a fridge, a DVD player, a Sony PlayStation and a desk with a typewriter. He has been taking distance-learning courses at his country’s main university. He has access to television, radio and newspapers. He prepares his own food, and he entered the Christmas gingerbread-house baking contest at his prison." Further in the article, this is what is written: "He is not permitted to communicate with other prisoners and has limited phone access. All of his letters, coming and going, are monitored and subject to censorship. He is allowed to spend one hour outside each day. He is not allowed to leave the prison, and he could not attend his mother’s funeral in 2013. He has also asserted that he has been subjected to degrading treatment, including hundreds of strip searches and frequent searches of his cell, including at night." Norwegian prison systems are known as the "world's most humane". Yet, Mr. Breivik is doing a lawsuit against Norway for bad prison conditions. In an article from the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten yesterday, one of the survivors from Utøya (where 69 persons were shot to death), Bjørn Ihler came up with very great points and arguments that I think is relevant for this discussion. He said the following (translated from Norwegian): "It is about whether we are still able to perceive Breivik as a man worthy of the same rights all we have and whether we manage to look past his actions, keep a cool head and stand by the principles our society is built on. He [Mr. Breivik] is increasingly being described as the monster rather than the man. There have been demonstrations against showing his image, cover has been reversed and many have refused to say his name. This helps to create mystery and fear and with it, power. It makes Breivik to more than what he is, a man. It is increasingly suggested that we should treat him in inhuman ways, that we have the right to torture him, and in the most extreme cases, kill him. It was precisely what Breivik did to us, we who were on Utøya. Breivik deprived us our humanity, he sat us in another cubicle than himself, and based on this he took life. I refuse to follow in his footsteps. I refuse to let the man that the summer of 2011 took the lives of my friends and tried to kill me set the premise for how I, and my small country should treat our fellow human beings, Breivik included. The most important weapon we have in the fight against extremism is to illustrate that it is wrong to believe that some people are inferior or less human than others. We prove this through the way we treat our society's weakest and those who live in the justice system's grace. We prove it by following our democratic principles; equality before the law. We prove it by being open and inclusive and by not blindly defining people to be our enemies but rather look at all as human beings worthy of the same rights as everyone else. We prove it by not distance ourselves, but rather be inclusive, and by showing compassion with those who feel ostracized. We prove it also by setting standards and expectations. The court once again has run its course, and once again come to what is apparently an informed decision in the face of terror, suggesting that the judiciary is able to keep a cool head, and that it is able to stick to democratic principles of law even under extreme circumstances. Now you need correctional follow up, leading the way, and hopefully set an example for the rest of the world of how we treat our fellow man, and fighting terrorism." The excerpt was gathered from here. A Norwegian cell. The question is, what do you think about the treatment Mr. Breivik gets, who has killed 77 people, compared to other countries' prison systems? Do you think the Norwegian prison system is fair and that this is how criminals should be treated? Or do you think he doesn't deserve that bad/good treatment? Rehabilitation or punishment? Dicuss! Remember to follow the Terms of Use while discussing. If you need more information about who this is, go to this article, and you can get some information about the background story here. Sincerly, chocolate23
Sounds more like he's on a cruise ship than a prison. I'm surprised he's complaining. He's lucky he's alive. Don't they have the death penalty there? He killed a lot of people to have access to so many luxuries. Are all prisoners there given a 3 room suite plus all those other amenities, or just this guy because he's special?
Breivik is absolute scum. He should have been forced into hard labour for the rest of his life. His sentence is what? 22 years? There are petty thieves who are serving more time. Norway really has to put its foot down here.
No, there's no death penalty in Norway. I'm not 100% sure but I guess all prisoners are being treated equally, so they do probably have the same conditions. Some prisons are actually better than retirement homes, this was highly debated here in Norway a few months ago.
Norway has a penal system that strongly emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment. The point is that the prisoners should have a chance at getting back to the society after prisoning, and that's why the prisoners are being treated this way. However, Mr. Breivik will never have a chance at getting back to the society, becuase of what he has done. But they have to treat every prisoner in the same way, cannot treat them differently, no matter of how terrible the case is. But what do you think guys think? Rehabilitation or punishment?
For instance a mass murderer should receive punishment. A vandal on the other hand can be rehabilitated (usually, unless they are a sociopath on the rampage)
But rehabilitation for someone who killed 77 people should be out of discussion. Should be no other penalty than death penalty.
Can I go there? On a serious note; 1. Can you please change that pic, it morally offends me in this context. 2. He shouldn't have half the stuff he does, prison is meant to be a punishment, not a holiday camp.
This guy doesn't fear dying. He fears dying and being forgotten. Give him hell. Force him into hard labour in crappy conditions. Someone who would infringe so many peoples right to life should have no human rights.
As a student, The second he complained about microwave food, he kinda lost any support I could give. Also suspect that his rooms are bigger than what student accomodation got me. On another note, this case should have been dismissed.I get the whole human rights thing but he seems to have more than enough of his rights if they still allow him to complain.
There is no heroism involved in taking another's life. If you associate heroism with killing question yourself on who you view as a hero.