Norway

The maximum prison sentence in Norway is 21 years. In the final three years of a sentence, the inmate is eligible to be transferred to Bastøy prison, located on Bastøy Island in the Oslo Fiord of Horten municipality. Bastøy prison is a multi-building complex and a working farm and timber operation where inmates work and some have privileges to leave the prison to attend school or work on the mainland during the day. Organized as a small island community, the prison infrastructure includes about 80 buildings, roads, beach zones, a cultural landscape, a football field, agricultural land and forest. Most of the prisons in Norway have libraries for inmates. Bastøy prison, however, is noted for its library. The prison director, Tina Hansen, was awarded the 2016 Library Award by the Vestdfold County section of the Norwegian Library Association for her work on the Bastøy Prison Library.

Lifelong learning is a part of the Norwegian government’s policy, inspired by the European Commission, OECD and other international organizations. Lifelong learning is an important principle in Norwegian education policy. The goal is to allow all Norwegians to get an education and develop their skills throughout their whole life. Lifelong learning is considered a way to increase the individual’s life quality and to provide greater economic growth and flexibility in the workplace (EURYDICE, 2019).