Inside the World's Most Humane Prison

Inside the World's Most Humane Prison
Trond Isaksen / Statsbygg

The Outside In
The maximum sentence in Norway, even for murder, is 21 years. Since most inmates will eventually return to society, prisons mimic the outside world as much as possible to prepare them for freedom. At Halden, rooms include en-suite bathrooms with ceramic tiles, mini-fridges and flat-screen TVs. Officials say sleeker televisions afford inmates less space to hide drugs and other contraband. Photo taken 2010.

Get the Latest Photos from Time.com
Get TIME photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.