Did you know Halden will soon boast Europe’s most modern prison? Occupying 300 acres of land just a few kilometres from the Swedish border, the prison will be home to 252 inmates, and will be the second largest in Norway, employing some 300 people.

The brand new facilities include a gym, a training room, a sound studio, a chapel, a library, several workshops, a family visiting unit, a football pitch and a school, where inmates will get the opportunity to study and gain a range of professional qualifications aimed at facilitating their release into society.

The cells themselves are bright, and are arranged in small units of 10 and 12 cells, joined to a common living area, where inmates will prepare food and socialise in very much the same way they would in any communal building. All cells have flat screen TVs and en-suite bathrooms, and some kind of view – what’s more, the windows don’t have iron bars.

Indeed if it weren’t for the 1.3km-long and 6m-high wall surrounding the compound, and the locks on the doors, you may at times forget this is a high security penal institution. Very good use has been made of natural light throughout, and (unusual for a prison) bright colours introduced. All the buildings, furniture and equipment are brand new. And the big yard in the centre of the complex, which is surrounded by pine trees, looks more like a playground than a prison yard. Facilities many a school or nursing home would no doubt envy. You know what? This being Norway, even the wardens are good looking.

Rehabilitation is key in the Norwegian penal system, which explains most of the thinking behind the design here. Well, with such luxury, inmates should have no excuse not to become model citizens after their release. Halden prison cost Norwegian tax payers a whopping 1.3 billion crowns. Six million were spent on art alone, much of it on huge murals by Dolk, Norway’s foremost graffiti artist.

Halden prison officially opens on April 1st. Is it a joke at the tax payer’s expense, or a bold, innovative attempt at efficient rehabilitation? You decide.

The prison held two open days for visitors this weekend. It is estimated that between 8,000 and 9,000 people visited. See some photos here www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/ostfold/1.6993438 or a video (in Norwegian) here www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article3509456.ece