The Most Unconventional Prison Policies in the World

We often think of prisons to be the most inhumane places in society, because of what we see in media or what we hear from people who have been there. Or, perhaps from personal experience, whether we know someone who is or has been incarcerated, or have experienced being incarcerated ourselves. What usually comes to mind when we think of prisons is that it's a scary place, being a hub filled with offenders.

Of course, prison is partly a place to detain and isolate individuals from society so that they can be rehabilitated, if possible. Otherwise, they will be kept there for life if the courts deem them to pose a significant level of threat to society. But there are some prisons that have the weirdest rules, which can either be thought-provoking or just downright silly.

On this list compiled by Pauli Poisuo of Grunge, perhaps the most surprising prison policy is that of Bastoy Island in Norway. The prevailing rule in the prison is one of trust and respect. This can be seen from the fact that guards are unarmed, prisoners live in cabins with their own rooms, and they can even be cook their own food as well as be productive with their own jobs.

This defies the conventional notion that we have of prisons, that they are inhumane and inhospitable to its inhabitants. In fact, Bastoy has become a community in itself, like its own village. Not only that, prisoners also have the freedom to go fishing or even swim at the beach.

Perhaps, this first example would make us pause to think about how we think about the people who have committed crimes, why they did so, and how we should exact justice yet still enable them to maintain their humanity. We don't know, however, whether the prisoners here are just petty criminals or big-time offenders, committing heinous crimes. But the fact that even the guards are willing to go unarmed says much about the culture in Norway, and how they view individuals, the penal system, and justice.

Next to this, I would say that the second most humane policy is that of Aranjuez Prison in Spain. What they have implemented is something called the family cell program. That is, when both parents have been incarcerated, they allow children under the age of three to live with their parents inside the prison. And they're not living in squalid cells either. There's a special area fitted with amenities of a regular household.

This may not be the best solution, but experts agree that it is a preferable method than letting children grow up without their parents, especially during their formative years. Plus, the little children will also have playmates inside so it's not the worst environment.

This third one is the weirdest. It was a policy implemented by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has been dubbed "America's Toughest Sheriff". In response to increasing cases of undergarment theft in the prison, Arpaio launched the pink underwear campaign. Everything from undergarments, socks, blankets, and even handcuffs were in pink.

It didn't last long as the new sheriff abolished all the policies that his predecessor implemented. These are only some of the most unconventional prison policies in the world. There are several more on Grunge's list, and you might be intrigued by them as well.

(Image credit: Larry Farr/Unsplash)