Töömaja

Töömaja is a facility in Ahekõnnu, a village in northwestern Estonia. The facility offers a year-long work-based rehabilitation program to help individuals overcome addiction. Through various work opportunities, it aims to rebuild self-esteem, enhance communication skills, and foster a sense of belonging. The facility was founded in 2019 and is managed by MTÜ Töömaja (NGO […]

Samaaria Pärnu

Samaaria Pärnu is managed by the Samaritan Estonian Mission (Samaaria Eesti Misjon), a nonprofit organization that manages facilities, nursing homes, and charity shops. Founded in 1991 with help from Swedish Christians, the organization originally focused on providing humanitarian aid and support for people affected by the societal changes following Estonia’s independence. The facility provides support for […]

Seehaus Leipzig

Seehaus Leipzig is a juvenile correctional facility that follows a “free form” model (Jugendstrafvollzug in freien Formen). This means it offers an alternative to traditional closed or open prisons, allowing young offenders to serve their sentences in a different way. It is one of two such facilities in Germany run by the NGO Seehaus e.V. […]

Samaaria Haapsalu

Samaaria Haapsalu, also known as Haapsalu Shelter, is a facility in Haapsalu Linn, an urban municipality in western Estonia, in Lääne County. The facility is managed by the NGO Samaritan Estonian Mission. The Samaritan Estonian Mission is a widespread network of shelters, nursing homes, and second-hand charity stores. Founded in 1991 through a collaboration with […]

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 […]