Prison Life Index

The evaluations measure the violations of prisoner rights by the State. They are based on extensive desk research and expert evaluations. Please refer to the methodology to find out how the Prison Life Index data is collected, sorted, and aggregated.    The data and information for Norway were collected between October and November 2024.

B
Occasional violations
B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to drinking water

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to food

B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to drinking water via a sink in their cell or in common areas.

They are served four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a cold snack. In some facilities, such as Evje ward of Agder prison (Arendal), incarcerated people are required to cook their own meal in communal kitchens. They receive a daily allowance of 130 NOK (11.42 euros)1 to purchase food from the commissary.


  1. Exchange rate as of December 2019. 

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have sufficient living space

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison can sleep in good conditions

A
Compliant with the international standards

The premises are in good condition, clean and accessible

B-
Occasional severe violations

The law does not specify a minimum surface area per person. Most people in prison are accommodated in single cells, with a surface area between 8 to 10m2. They are provided with a bed and bedding.

In its Special Report to the Storting on Solitary Confinement and Lack of Human Contact in Norwegian Prisons, the Ombudsman expressed serious concerns in 2018 regarding the sleeping conditions of individuals held in security cells1. These are small and furnished only with a plastic mattress on the floor and a squat toilet. Some cells are entirely windowless, while those that have windows are designed in a way that prevents natural light from entering. Moreover, in most of these security cells, artificial lighting remains on continuously.


  1. People can be placed in security cells on an involuntary base to ”prevent the implementation of serious threats or considerable damage to property, or to prevent escape from prison and during transportation to or from a destination”

B
Occasional violations

Adequate sanitary facilities allow people in prison to maintain their personal hygiene

B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to personal hygiene products

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to clothing

A
Compliant with the international standards

Some cells are not equipped with toilets. This was the case in 2018, in the newly built section of Ullersmo prison (Hølen), where incarcerated people could face delays in accessing communal toilets at night. Security cells in this facility feature squat toilets that have to be flushed from outside by prison staff. They have no showers, and those held in these cells have limited access to communal showers.

People in prison are regularly provided with personal hygiene products such as soap, sanitary pads, or toilet paper.

People in prison can wear their own clothes. Those who cannot are provided with clothes from charities or the prison administration. Clothes are washed through a laundry system where incarcerated people are employed, such as in Ålesund, Hustad or Sanded prisons. In some prisons, people have direct access to washing machines.

-
Incomplete data
B
Occasional violations
B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison have access to health awareness and information programmes

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

Screening programmes make it possible to diagnose people with contagious diseases

-
Incomplete data

Equipment and infrastructures limiting the risk of disease and infection transmission are available

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

Vaccination programmes are organised

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges
B
Occasional violations

Health awareness information can be provided by the prison’s health workers. Specific sessions may be organised as part of local projects. Screenings are carried out based on symptoms detected during medical examinations. People presenting specific risks are systematically screened for hepatitis, tuberculosis, or HIV.

Material is available to limit the risk of disease and infection transmission. People in prison are provided with condoms and chlorine. The infrastructure does not always enable effective limitation of disease transmission. In Ila prison (Bærum), toilets and showers are located outside the cells and shared, which increases the risk of transmission.

Incarcerated people receive a medical examination upon admission or in the following days. Experts reported that it focused on mental health and the identification of suicide risks. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) observed in 2018 that this examination was “often limited to an interview without a proper physical examination”, and that the ”recording and reporting of injuries to an outside body also remained deficient”.

B
Occasional violations

Access to general health care is quick and consistent

B
Occasional violations

Health workers are qualified and independent

B
Occasional violations

Adequate health infrastructures are available

C
Frequent violations

People in prison have access to general health care within the prison. Due to the limited range of services available in some of the smaller facilities, they often depend on hospital staff for additional medical care. In facilities holding less than 20 people, individuals go directly to the local practitioner’s office outside the facility. They are required to submit a written request to prison staff to do so.

People needing to attend appointments outside prison must be escorted by prison staff. Experts reported that the lack of available officers leads to frequent missed appointments, specifically when they are not emergencies. Access to health care for individuals in solitary confinement, whether in their own cell or in a security cell, is not systematically guaranteed, even when they request it.

Health services in prison are managed by municipal authorities under a system known as the “import model”. According to the Ombudsman’s 2023 annual report, this ensures that “the health services are independent of the Correctional Service” and do not “partake in administrative decisions on sanctions, or in enforcing sanctions”. In practice, medical and security considerations are not always compatible. The report pointed out that in Bredtveit prison (Oslo), the health department lacked independence when considering ”the health-related consequences of using solitary confinement and security cells for individual inmates”.

Experts reported that prison staff, who may not have received specific training, are often responsible for distributing medications. In 2023, the Ombudsman found in Bredveit prison that the storage of medication was unsafe, and that there was a lack of record-keeping. It concluded that “these circumstances had given rise to a risk of poisoning and incorrect treatment”.

?
“Specialised care” refers to psychological, psychiatric and dental care according to Rule 25 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
B-
Occasional severe violations

Access to mental health and dental care is quick and consistent

B-
Occasional severe violations

Mental health and dental care workers are qualified and independent

B-
Occasional severe violations

Adequate mental health and dental care infrastructures are available

B
Occasional violations

The medical teams consist mainly of nurses and general practitioners. Some facilities have psychiatrists and specialists in addiction. The size of the medical team may vary between two and 17 people, depending on the capacity of the facility. Experts indicated that psychologists were present in all facilities.

An estimated 60% of people in prison face mental health issues. A person found criminally irresponsible cannot be convicted. Psychiatric hospitalisation under duress or for a severe mental illness is subject to conditions. Some people, who are eligible for these conditions, serve their sentences in solitary confinement.

In its 2023 Report, the Ombudsman pointed out the lack of adequate suicide risk assessment and prevention policies in Bredtveit prison (Oslo). In this facility, many incarcerated women present mental health issues and high levels of self-harm. The report addressed the lack of resources to safeguard the mental health of people in prison.

Civil society organisations, such as Wayback, raised concerns about the over-use of solitary confinement as a means of dealing with suicidal thoughts in people suffering from mental health problems. Some persons are transferred to mental health care institutions for short periods. Their stay often does not exceed three days, after which they are transferred back to solitary confinement in prison. In 2018, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) expressed serious concern about such cases in Oslo prison.

Eighteen facilities have had drug rehabilitation centres since 2007. These represent 5% of the total prison capacity. People in prison can start or continue substitution treatment. In 2024, 46% of men and and 59% of women incarcerated had a substance use disorder.

-
Incomplete data

People experiencing gender transition can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Elderly people can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Children can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

Women can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with communicable diseases can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with addictions can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data

People with mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders can access the necessary care

-
Incomplete data
C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison can continue the health care or treatments started before admission

C-
Frequent severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

An individual medical file is opened upon admission and is accessible to the patient

B-
Occasional severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

The public health care system is divided into five regions. When a person is admitted into a prison located in a different region from their home region, or transferred from one region to another, the communication of information between health services may suffer delays and lack coordination. An expert pointed out that some treatments could not be continued in prison for security reasons, as the administration considered that medications could be used in drug trafficking exchanges.

A medical file is opened for each person in prison. In 2023, the Ombudsman reported that, in Bredveit prison (Oslo), the collection of relevant and necessary medical information was unsatisfactory and arbitrary.

C
Frequent violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison can access legal assistance

C-
Frequent severe violations

People in prison are able to notify a third party in the event of detention, transfer, serious illness or injury

B
Occasional violations

Each person in prison has a confidential file in the official, complete and up-to-date registers

B
Occasional violations

People in prison have access to the internal regulations of the facility they are held in

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to legal assistance. Only people awaiting trial are entitled to free legal counsel. This ends once they have been sentenced. Experts reported that both people awaiting trial and those serving a sentence face difficulty in accessing legal assistance when they experience a violation of their rights in prison. They have to rely on pro-bono lawyers or free legal aid clinics such as the student association Jussbuss.

Each person in prison has a confidential file in which disciplinary measures must be logged. Experts reported that these are not always completed by staff. In 2019, the Ombudsman highlighted the failure of the prison administration in Bredveit prison (Oslo) to record the placement of people in security cells.

People in prison do not systematically have access to the internal regulations and information relating to their rights. In 2020, the student association Jussbuss published the latest version of the Prisoner’s Handbook. It summarises “the legal rules concerning arrest, remand in custody and sentencing” and is primarily intended for incarcerated people. It is generally accessible to people held in detention facilities.

C
Frequent violations
C
Frequent violations

The disciplinary system set out by public regulation is proportionate and appropriate

C
Frequent violations

The different categories of people in prison are placed in separate facilities or wards

D
Regular violations

The working and training conditions of prison staff contribute to the preventive framework

C
Frequent violations
C
Frequent violations

People in prison are not subjected to physical harm

B
Occasional violations

Discipline is enforced in a proportionate way

C
Frequent violations

People in prison are not subjected to abusive, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment

C
Frequent violations

The disciplinary system is set by several laws and regulations, such as the Execution of Sentence Act. There are additional guidelines for its implementation. Experts pointed out that the disciplinary system leaves considerable discretion to prison officers in the application of measures.

Men and women are placed in different wards. Children awaiting trial are not separated from adults. People awaiting trial and those sentenced are not separated from each other, neither by law nor in practice.

Prison staff attend a two-year programme at the Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy (Kriminalomsogens høgskole og utdanningssenter, KRUS), including courses on human rights.

Experts reported that staff often has to deal with issues beyond their responsibilities due to the high prevalence of people with mental health problems. Severe staff shortages have been reported by the Ombudsman in 2023.

People in prison can be subject to solitary confinement on several grounds. Those awaiting trial may be placed in solitary confinement in their cell by Court order during the investigation of their case. Solitary confinement in one’s cell can be imposed by administrative decisions taken for reasons such as staff shortages or building conditions. People in prison can also be subject to solitary confinement in their cell for security reasons, in a security cell as a disciplinary sanction or as a suicide prevention measure.

Abusive and extensive recourse to solitary confinement was reported in 2018 in Bredtveit prison (Oslo). In this facility, between 2018–2022, both the number of persons placed in solitary confinement in their own cells and of those placed in security cells doubled, according to the prison’s register. People with mental health issues are particularly subject to these practices across the territory.

Based on its visits to 19 prisons in 2019, the Ombudsman reported that “over half of all instances of solitary confinement in Norwegian prisons have been due to a lack of available activities, low staffing levels or a lack of common areas in the sections”. The previous year, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) had declared that it was unacceptable that people in prison may be “completely excluded from the company of other inmates for several days, due to logistical reasons”.

D-
Regular severe violations
D-
Regular severe violations

Internal or administrative inspections are carried out regularly by the central administration

D-
Regular severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

External inspections are regularly carried out by independent bodies

A
Compliant with the international standards
C
Frequent violations

In the event of an offense committed against a person in prison, the response of the institution is effective

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison, their legal assistance or their loved ones can file a complaint

C
Frequent violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

In each of the five regions of the country, a supervisory board of the correctional service (Tilsynsråd) is in place to oversee prisons. Experts reported that the way they operate is opaque and that inspections are limited. In its 2018 report, the Ombudsman observed that this internal mechanism “is not a regime that ensures systematic and regular inspection, within the limits necessary to safeguard the legal rights of inmates in accordance with human rights standards”. In January 2025, a new internal mechanism will be introduced and will operate within a single national council.

On 27 June 2013, Norway ratified the Optional Protocol on the United Nations Convention against Torture. The following year, the Ombudsman was established as the National Preventive Mechanism. The Ombudsman carries out visits to prisons and publishes reports.

The CPT conducted its 6th periodic visit to Norway in May 2024. This visit covered five facilities: Mandal Unit of Agder prison, Halden prison, Ila Detention and Security prison, Skien Unit of Telemark prison, and Tromsø prison.

People in prison can address their complaints to their contact officer, appointed upon admission, or through a letter system. The response from the institution is not always effective.

B-
Occasional severe violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

Every person in prison can access a job

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison who work receive equitable remuneration and are free to use at least part of their earnings

C
Frequent violations

People in prison work in good conditions

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to a diverse range of qualifying jobs that are not more dangerous or arduous than work outside the prison

B-
Occasional severe violations

People serving a sentence are required to attend training or participate in an activity, programme or work. Those awaiting trial are not required to take part in these activities (Section 49, the Execution of Sentences Act). A person can be declared unfit for work for medical reasons.

People in prison taking part in such activities receive a daily allowance of 83 NOK1. According to the Prisoner Handbook: “the size of the amount is the same irrespective of whether you participate in work, education, programmes or other initiatives”.

Job opportunities vary across facilities. Smaller facilities tend to offer fewer jobs and less variety. In the Froland ward of Agder prison, jobs available include hairdressing, food science2, and woodwork. People can also do maintenance work for the prison. In Haugesund prison, two persons can be employed in the laundry and repair work is available. Not everyone is offered a job, especially those awaiting trial.

Experts reported that job opportunities can vary depending on the budget of the municipality responsible or the space available in the facility. Job offers for women are often limited and marked by gender bias.


  1. Exchange rate as of December 2023. 

  2. According to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, food science is a multi-disciplinary field, involving chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, nutrition, sensory science, food engineering. 

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to vocational training

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to education

B
Occasional violations

Each municipality is responsible, both inside and outside prison, for primary and secondary education and vocational training (Section 13-2a, Education act). Prisons offer a wide range of courses and training at varying levels. In Romerike prison (Hølen) the offer of vocational training includes ”restaurant and food studies”, ”building and construction engineering” and ”technology and industrial production”.

B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison spend at least one hour per day in the open air

C
Frequent violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

People in prison have access to a library

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison can participate in recreational and cultural activities

B-
Occasional severe violations
C
Frequent violations
B-
Occasional severe violations

All people in prison are entitled to spend at least one hour a day in the open air (Section 22, Execution of Sentences Act). Those subjected to solitary confinement are obliged to spend this time in specific wards. Those spaces, known as stråleluft are ”small outdoor cells with high concrete walls and often a steel mesh roof (in some cases a roof that bars any view of the sky”. The Ombudsman noted in 2018 that many people refused to use these spaces that were referred to as ”dog pens”.

People in prison have access to cultural and sporting activities. The cultural activities most commonly offered are music lessons, concerts, film screenings and theatre. Not everyone has access to these activities, in particular women, who are often held in older prisons. Foreign nationals in Kongsvinger prison1 are not offered musical activity. Experts indicated that in smaller and older prisons, gym infrastructures are limited.

In 2023, the Ombudsman reported that staffing issues could result in people not having access to the open air and activities.

The religions most represented in prison are Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam. There is no specifically designed prayer room in each facility.


  1. Kongsvinger prison consists of a men high security unit with 69 places for foreign nationals, and a low security unit to hold 20 women. Currently, the women’s unit is housing men, both foreign nationals and norwegians. 

?
See category ‘Being protected’ for communication with legal assistance and external monitoring bodies.
B
Occasional violations
B
Occasional violations

People in prison can correspond in writing with their loved ones

B
Occasional violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison can talk with their loved ones on the phone

B
Occasional violations

People in prison can receive visitors

B-
Occasional severe violations
i
Alternative evaluation methodology due to data access challenges

People in prison may be granted temporary leave to visit their loved ones

A
Compliant with the international standards

Measures are in place to guarantee the best interests of children of an incarcerated parent

-
Incomplete data

People in prison can send letters to their loved ones. They are provided with paper and pens by the administration. They have to buy the stamps. Letters of incarcerated people under specific scrutiny from the administration can be monitored. The administration also carries out random checks.

People held in high security facilities are generally allowed to make phone calls for a maximum of 30 minutes a week. They can be granted additional time by the administration under specific circumstances.

In lower security facilities, people can make phone calls in their free time. There is no limit to the number of minutes they are allowed to call, as long as they can afford it. The location of phones depends on the prison facilities. In most of them, they are located in common areas.

In 2022, a survey on the control of incarcerated people’s phone calls distributed by the Ombudsman revealed that the control of phone calls to loved ones was unnecessarily strict and made it difficult to maintain family ties, particularly with children and close relatives.

Visits take place in specific rooms. People in high security facilities are granted one hour’s visit per week. In lower security facilities, visiting rights may vary from one hour a week as in Verdal prison, to three hours in Trondheim prison.

Each person in prison must submit a list of visitors for the administration’s approval.

People are not systematically incarcerated close to their home. This is especially true for women, which can be held far from their loved ones due to the limited number of facilities holding women in the country.

People in solitary confinement due to a court order are often prohibited from any type of contact with their loved ones.

The legislation provides for a sentence adjustment for pregnant women or women with young children. As a result, there are no children incarcerated with their parents in the country’s prisons.

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to information and various media

A
Compliant with the international standards
i
Méthodologie d'évaluation alternative en raison de difficultés d'accès aux données

People in prison who have retained their right to vote may vote

A
Compliant with the international standards

People in prison have access to information through different media. In most prisons, televisions are installed in common areas. Incarcerated people can also purchase one for their own cell. Newspapers are available in the library and can be bought in the prison commissary.