Opening Prisons Opens Doors!
10 reasons Canada (and other countries) should establish open prisons
1. Prisoners in an open prison have better self-control.
2. Traditional prisons foster violence.
3. Reintegration into society is often difficult.
4. Open prisoners have lower recidivism rates.
5. Taxes could be reduced in the long run.
6. Open prisons are better for prisoners’ continued education, and by extension, career prospects.
7. Open prisons are better for prisoners’ health, especially mental health.
8. Open prisons go hand-in-hand with human rights.
9. Public trust in the justice system would improve.
10. Open prisons can accommodate vulnerable prisoners
Finland was the first country to implement the open prison system, and the three Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) have followed suit. Other countries, including Iceland, Germany, and the Netherlands, have partially implemented the system.
So what is the open prison system? Prisoners start out in traditional prisons, but do not stay there. After a few months or a few years, depending on behavior, they are moved to open prisons. These are rehabilitative facilities with the intent of adjusting prisoners to the outside. Open prisons do not have gates or resemble traditional prisons at all, and are divided into dormitories rather than traditional cells. Their staff are nonprofit social workers.
Open prisoners have their own bank accounts, go shopping, choose their own clothing (no uniforms), plan their own meals, and do their own housework, including cooking and laundry. They are permitted to drive, use cell phones, attend school in person, and even have guests. They do wear tracking devices, but no chains or shackles. While jobs are available at and around the prison, prisoners also have the option to work or volunteer elsewhere. Some open prisons even offer bus service, in order to facilitate shopping.
Open prisons may sound like an expensive reform, except for one thing: most countries with open prisons also have few prisoners, as their legal systems favour fines, probation, and community service. For example, as of October 2024, Norway only had 3,052 prisoners (55 per 100,000 people).
The purpose of open prisons is to rehabilitate criminals, rather than simply to punish them. Here are the reasons Canada (and other countries) should implement open prisons.
Reason 1: Self-control
Kaisa Tammi-Moilanen, the director of Finland’s Ojoinen Prison, said it best: “Prisoners in a closed prison don’t need to learn any self-control, because everything they do is controlled. But to be a normal citizen, you need to have inner control of your life, so you know … what is good for the society.”
Her point is understandable. Traditional prisons have high violence rates (higher in some countries than others) because many inmates lack self-control. With the right connections, incarcerated criminals can even become kingpins and organize crimes on the outside. (In fact, some countries’ “maximum security” prisons have proven that no amount of extra guards can solve the problem.) This brings us to our next reason.
Reason 2: Violence
If all the world’s justice systems focused on rehabilitating prisoners, there would be much less prison violence. With personal choice comes the need for trepidation. With doing your own shopping, laundry, and cooking, there comes the need to make decisions and plans.
Reason 3: Reintegration
Traditional prisons isolate individuals from society for years. Released prisoners face a world that has evolved in their absence; technology has marched on, and relationships have faded. Also, it is well documented that vital life skills, such as household chores and applying for jobs, can be forgotten after years of disuse. All of this makes reintegration difficult.
Open prisons avert this problem by gently adjusting inmates from incarceration to freedom. By being allowed to work traditional jobs, attend school, and go shopping, they gradually return to society, with supports at every step. This soft landing reduces the culture shock upon release, and likewise helps the community to reaccept the individual.
Reason 4: Recidivism
Repeat offenders are the bane of justice systems the world over. Countries with open prisons have low recidivism rates due to their focus on prisoner rehabilitation. Norway has the world’s lowest recidivism rate, at 20%, compared to 44% in Canada and 82% in the US.
Open prisons promote pro-social behavior, build emotional regulation skills, reduce violent tendencies, and even allow inmates to maintain social bonds with family and friends. Therefore, most prisoners released from open systems pose little risk. Conversely, hardened inmates released from punitive systems are likely to reoffend due to a variety of factors, including desperation, resentment, or lack of survival skills.
Reason 5: Economic benefits
Investing in open prisons would lower taxes in the long run, because sentences would be not only fewer, but also shorter on average. A rehabilitative prison system would mean shorter sentences for at least some criminals. And this, in turn, would lead to lower taxes for the average citizen.
Reason 6: Educational benefits
While correspondence courses are available to inmates in most countries including Canada, these are usually very limited in selection and have long waitlists. Only countries with open prisons are able to offer in-person education, which results in larger course catalogues and shorter wait times. Therefore, open prisons are better for prisoners’ education, and by extension, their future employability. Many Finnish prisoners learn tech skills, which cannot be taught via correspondence courses.
Reason 7: Health benefits
It has been documented that prisoners in an open prison are generally healthier than those in a closed prison, especially when it comes to mental health. Not only because open prisons are less stressful, but also because they have better access to mental health services. This is important, because many convicts are mentally ill to begin with.
Reason 8: Human rights benefits
Closed prisons often violate basic human dignity. With their uniforms, strict schedules, limited human interaction, and constant scrutiny, incarcerated individuals are robbed of their identity, which damages their sense of self-worth. To say nothing of the fact that prisons are often seen as “dumping grounds” for people judged as failures.
Open prisons, by contrast, allow inmates to interact with the outside world. This encourages their sense of identity, humanity, and self-respect. Numerous studies have shown that humanizing treatment generally results in successful reintegration after the fact, especially for nonviolent offenders.
According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, prisoners have the right to humane treatment, medical care, education, and cultural activities. The ICESCR also states that justice systems should focus on rehabilitation and social reintegration. Therefore, unlike purely punitive justice systems, rehabilitative setups fit well with international human rights standards.
Reason 9: Public trust
A rehabilitative approach to justice is likely to increase public trust in the justice system. People are eager to support and respect a system that demonstrates effectiveness, fairness, and dignity, by focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Reason 10: Accommodations
Not all prisoners are alike. Some are pregnant, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, or survivors of abuse. Most countries’ prison systems do little to accommodate these vulnerable groups, often worsening their conditions. Open prisons can provide tailored support, from therapy and education to vocational training and healthcare. They offer a more manageable and compassionate setting for those unable to handle the harsh conditions of a closed prison.