State Department of Corrections applying Norwegian methods to reduce recidivism

Gov. Jay Inslee and officials from the Washington State Department of Corrections visited Romerike Prison near Oslo in September. Norwegian prisons seek to “resocialize” incarcerated people to prepare them for society upon release — Inslee spoke with American and Norwegian corrections officers for their perspectives.

The Norwegian Correctional Service believes that people go to court to get punished and to prison to become better neighbors. 

Norwegian prisons prioritize rehabilitation and have succeeded, slashing recidivism to just 20% (one-third of the American rate). 

A delegation of Washington state officials including Gov. Jay Inslee visited Romerike Prison near Oslo, Norway to observe their compelling correctional model. The visit was part of the governor’s ten-day trade mission to the Nordic countries.

The mission of the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is to improve public safety by positively changing lives. 

DOC has partnered with AMEND at the University of California San Francisco to adopt new strategies like those used in Norway to prepare incarcerated people for successful reentry into society, a tactic which DOC hopes will prevent many from returning to prison.

Read more about the Norwegian model and recent DOC reforms on Gov. Jay Inslee’s Medium.