One major difference between the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Norwegian Correction Service is the focus. In Norwegian, their primary focus is on rehabilitation. They say that the punishment is a restriction of liberty, and no other rights have been removed by the courts. Offenders are placed on the lowest possible security regime, and during this sentence, their life inside will resemble as much as their life outside. These values and policies that the Norwegian Correction Service uses are less severe than what the Oregon Department of Corrections uses. Oregon focuses more on punishment rather than rehabilitation, life inside prison is very different than life outside, and prisoners are far more restricted in the activities that …show more content…
The import model that they use allows for a much smoother reintegration process that Oregon does not have. Those who were part of the exchange were able to see just how different Norwegian principles are from Oregon. They realized that the only way they could implement these principles was if they could experience them firsthand. One of the participants said that they were overwhelmed when they first got there because the prison was more like a college campus than a prison. They said that it was very bright and vibrant, not like what we have here in Oregon. They did talk about making some changes and starting to incorporate some of the Norwegian principles into the Oregon Department of Corrections. Heidi Steward, the assistant director of correctional services at the Oregon Department of Corrections, said that the Norwegian system aligns closely with the goals that the state has for their correctional system. There is already a pilot program put into place inspired by this trip, which involves special resource teams to work with inmates who have severe mental