Ålesund prison

Ålesund fengsel (from now on “Ålesund prison”) is a high-security facility for men. It was opened in 1864 and is located at the heart of Ålesund city. Ålesund is one of the 1860s prisons, originally built for the purpose of solitary confinement. The facility has strict entering and leaving policies. There are yet no walls […]

Søndre Vestfold fengsel, Berg avdeling

Søndre Vestfold fengsel, Berg avdeling (Southern Vestfold prison, Berg department, from now on “Berg prison”) is a lower-security prison opened in 1975. Berg is located in the outskirts of Tønsberg, in Vestfold and Telemark county. The prison is built as a camp, with several barracks serving a range of different purposes. Berg is especially known […]

Detention House Vorst

Detention house Vorst is located in Vorst (in French: Forest), a municipality near Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Since the city is officially bilingual (French and Dutch), the facility also operates in two languages. Thus, Detention House Vorst has a French-speaking and Dutch-speaking director. It is the second Detention House in Belgium and falls under […]

Transition house Enghien

Transition house Enghien is a newly established facility located in Enghien (Edingen), in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Opened in 2024, this transition house is part of a national initiative that has already resulted in the creation of three other transition houses across Belgium, including locations in Mechelen, Gentbrugge, and Leuven. Notably, this is the […]

Valdres Prison

Kriminalomsorgen Innlandet, avdeling lavere sikkerhet, Valdres (“Norwegian Correctional Service Innlandet, department lower-security, Valdres”, from now on ‘Valdres prison”) is a lower-security detention facility for men. It was opened in 1985, and is located on a small island in a relatively small village. The establishment was initiated by a politician called Åge Hovengen, who wanted to […]

Oslo halfway house, Gamlebyen unit

Oslo halfway house, Gamlebyen unit (from now on “Gamlebyen halfway house”) has a very central location in the Old Town of Oslo, and is one of eight halfway houses in the Norwegian prison system. The facility is under the direct management of the Norwegian penitentiary administration (Kriminalsorgen). Gamlebyen halfway house is an open building with […]

Probation House Pisek

Probation House Pisek is located in the town of Pisek, a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, and is operated by the Probation and Mediation Service (PMS). The facility was established in November 2022 with financial support from Norwegian grants 2014-2021. It is the first of its kind in the Czech […]

La Ferme de Moyembrie

La Ferme de Moyembrie, located in Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, about two hours from Paris, is an agro-ecological farm. In 1990, Jacques and Geneviève Pluvinage, retired agricultural engineers, bought a 24-acre plot of land to create a refuge for marginalized people. Jacques, who also visited local prisons, began receiving letters from prisoners who needed help after their release. […]

Trondheim prison – Leira unit

Leira Unit is the low-security section of Trondheim Prison, located just 7 kilometers from downtown Trondheim. It is recognized as one of Norway’s fourteen ‘drug managing units,’ emphasizing drug rehabilitation with two dedicated therapists and a strict drug policy. This focus is aimed at providing people in detention with the support and treatment necessary to […]

Transition House Leuven

Transition House Leuven is located in the heart of Leuven, in Belgium and was established in June 2024 by Foundation De Kansenfabriek (“The Opportunity Factory”). This foundation is committed to the recovery and successful reintegration of vulnerable groups in society, making the Transition House an essential resource for people seeking to rebuild their lives. At […]