Curfew as a means, not as an end – Electronic Monitoring in Norway Marianne Kylstad Øster Senior Advisor, Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Correctional Services Department and Tore Rokkan Senior Advisor, Correctional Services of Norway, Staff Academy, Research Department Norway established electronic monitoring as a way only for the offenders with the necessary resources of serving unconditional prison sentence in 2008. like stabile living and suitable occupation. Turning The aim of implementing electronic monitoring was people’s home into prisons became a discussion of to get a human and trustworthy alternative to principle. imprisonment, prevent recidivism and lower the prison populations. So far, the results are positive. The main reason for the implementation of the pilot This article describes the “Norwegian model” for project in Norway, from both a political and electronic monitoring, highlights some of the success professional point of view, were the need for a more factors of the project and focuses on some suitable way of serving the sentence for this target problems yet to be solved. group. The offender is able to maintain the social and economic elements as family and occupation HISTORY during the sentence, which are considered important factors to prevent recidivism. The political decision to start up the pilot project with electronic monitoring (EM) in Norway was There was also a wish to lower the use of made in 2007, and the legislation was passed in imprisonment in general, and a need for more August 2008. The political decision was quite flexibility because of the lack of prison capacity. controversial and all of the opposition parties were Last but not least, it is less expensive than prison. It against the proposition. While the right wing parties will always be important to keep in mind the balance regarded the proposition to be too soft on crime between cost-effectiveness and the quality of the and offender management, others were concerned scheme. This is not just a cheaper alternative to that this would create a social gap, an opportunity prison; this is a better alternative to prison. Vol. 2 no. 2 90 EuroVista Main Articles The implementation started up in September 2008. dynamic security. The offender has to accept a very Six counties were chosen as pilot units, each tight supervision and control-scheme, and having a representing different geographic and demographic suitable occupation is part of the conditions. The qualities. The aim was to get a broad experience, offender also has to participate in motivational and but still in a small and manageable scope. After an crime preventive programs and other activities to implementation period of four months, with tight individually match the offender’s needs for cooperation between the Ministry, the Correctional rehabilitation. The goal is to maintain and advance Service and the IT-centre, the units were well the social and economic capabilities of the offender operative. and in this way to prevent recidivism. NORWEGIAN MODEL The scheme includes intensive supervision with both inclusion and exclusion in order to promote and When preparing the pilot and development of the encourage a structured lifestyle. The offender’s Norwegian way of EM, there was a need for obligation to participate in the community is just as knowledge and experiences from other countries. important as the obligation to stay at home. At the The Norwegian approach is not all new. It has been same time the scheme allows flexibility if an offender influenced by many other EM-schemes, particularly is unable to comply with a particular curfew for a by Sweden and Denmark, which are natural good reason, and immediate changes can be made. countries to compare to. There are a lot of This is a common approach to offender management similarities between the Nordic countries regarding in both Sweden and Denmark as well, and in offender management, sharing the same standard contrast with other countries only concerned about of reference with a welfare-focused correctional the home curfew period. service. ORGANIZATION We have learned a lot from their experiences and have been strongly influenced by them, but still there The Correctional Services have the superior are some differences. Especially, we have to take responsibility for all parts of the activity concerning into account the geographical challenges, with long electronic monitoring in Norway. During the pilot distances, mountains and fjords. This has influenced period, the Correctional Services Department in the the scheme in Norway, especially when it comes to Ministry of Justice and Public Security administrates finding efficient logistic solutions. In some parts at and coordinates the project and continuously the West coast, there are small islands with only considers adjustments and developments. ferry connections once a day. In the North there are huge distances, with four to five hours of driving The Correctional Services IT Centre has from the correctional service unit to the home of the responsibility for the technical solution, which is the offender. In areas of steep mountain hills with a conventional electronic monitoring of an offender’s risk of avalanche, closing off the only road is not presence at his domestic residence, based on radio unusual. The use of hired personnel and cooperation frequency-technology. They are also in charge of with public agencies placed in this rural and the EM control centre that is monitoring the whole challenging areas, are necessary. country and reports to the field personnel. The Norwegian approach of electronic monitoring The court decides upon the type of sentence, but is well integrated into the overall offender within the legal boundaries an administrative decision management programme. This is designed to can be made by the Correctional Services as to encourage success and reduce recidivism. It involves whether the sentence is to be executed in prison or a very close following-up by the staff, and with electronic monitoring at home. Until recently, emphasizes an individually adjusted supervision the regional level was the decision-making authority, based upon knowledge of the offender and a good considering all the applications for EM. This was relationship with cooperation, trust and done to ensure best possible judicial precedent and responsibility, which, in the end, will increase equal treatment between the pilot units. After three EuroVista 91 Vol. 2 no. 2 Curfew as a means, not as an end – Electronic Monitoring in Norway years of practice, the decision authority is now (back door). The project still has a geographically delegated to the local level, as for most other limited scope, now covering more then half of the decisions in the Correctional Services. country with a capacity of 215 offenders at any given time. The gradual expansion of the project has been Special units for electronic monitoring have been a good way to tailor implementation and ensure established within the existing local probation quality in the process. offices, which are responsible for the execution of the sanction. These units have well-qualified Each year about 8000 new offenders are convicted multidisciplinary staff of both prison officers and to prison in Norway, 70 per cent of these to a social workers. The staff is working shifts from 07 sentence less than four months in prison. Most of to 23 during the week and from 10 to 17 in the these can apply for EM front door as an alternative weekends, 7/365. One of the units has the night to the whole sentence. However, as a main rule, shift responsibility for all the units and contacts the offenders convicted for violence and sexual crimes police in case of emergency. Both the shift cycle, are excluded. This group makes up approximately extended opening hours at the office and the 25 per cent of all new offenders. About 80 per cent combination of different qualifications among staff of the target population apply for EM front door. are organizational adjustments at the Probation More than half of the applicants are accepted; Service, as a result of implementing EM. The meaning that three out of four who are in the target experiences are positive; the staff is satisfied with group have been included in the project group. the working hours and with the mixed professions. The Probation Office as such profits by the extended The target group for back door is more limited, and opening hours also concerning the supervision of mainly consist of those with less than four months other offender groups than EM. left of a longer sentence. So far, 220 inmates have been included in the project. More than half of them THE TARGET GROUP come from a few low security prisons. The target group for electronic monitoring in Until 2012, the project has received about 5500 Norway consists of offenders sentenced to less than applications, and almost 3000 are implemented. Of four months of imprisonment (front door), or those those, only 135 offenders were sent back to prison with less than four months left of a longer sentence, after breach of conditions, mainly after use of as a gradual reintegration to society after prison alcohol. TABLE 1: APPLICATIONS, IMPLEMENTATIONS AND REVOCATIONS 2008-2012 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total Applications 458 1537 1505 1922 5422 Implementations 99 784 1001 1064 2948 Revocations 5 27 47 456 135 THE PROFILE OF THE OFFENDER of road traffic offences, often for driving over the GROUP speed limit. This group consists of the youngest offenders on EM, often 20-25 years old. More Most of the offenders belong to one of three large than 60 per cent of all offenders have committed groups, with driving under the influence of drugs or some kind of road traffic offence. The last large alcohol is the largest. Those who are sentenced to offender group in EM is sentenced for some form prison usually have been driving under the influence of economic crime, fraud, bribery, corruption, etc.