Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
5 Star Hotel or Prison? Norway's Most Luxurious Prison | Short Documentary
World's Most Luxurious Prison | Halden Prison: Vacation For Murderers? : youtu.be/Uz_Ukcgi4p4
Presented by Ann Widdecombe, this documentary goes behind the walls of one of the most unusual prisons in the world, Halden Prison in Norway. In her time as the government’s Justice Minister back in the 1990’s, Ann Widdecombe visited 135 prisons in the UK and believes that a prison should be ‘decent but austere’. It certainly shouldn’t feel like a hotel.
Norway boasts one of the lowest rates of recidivism in the world so Ann is intrigued to find out what they’re doing right and has come to Halden Prison to find out. Built ten years ago as a ground-breaking experiment, Halden Prison was designed to not look or feel like a prison. With prisoners’ human rights at the core of its philosophy, Halden Prison is the first in the world to host workshops, social workers, a college, a library, a music studio and a restaurant all under one roof. But while its humane approach has been revered by some, Halden Prison has been accused by others of being too luxurious, especially because it’s a maximum security prison - home to murderers, rapists and paedophiles.
With her knowledge of the UK prison system, Ann spends an eye-opening three days inside Halden as she meets staff, hears inmate’s stories and judges for herself whether the level of luxury in the prison is justified. She even meets a former inmate who was once known as the most dangerous man in Norway. From rapping in a state-of-the-art music studio to scooting down an underground security tunnel to attending a spiritual retreat, she’s on a quest to discover what the UK could learn from this radical Norwegian system. Baffled by some aspects of the prison and impressed by others, Ann wonders if Halden is the prison of the future or is it just too expensive?
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#FreeDocumentary #ShortDocs #halden #norway #prisonlife #behindbars
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Free Doc Bites is dedicated to bringing high-class short documentaries to you on YouTube for free. With the latest camera equipment used by well-known filmmakers working for famous production studios. You will see fascinating shots from the deep seas and up in the air, capturing great stories and pictures from everything our beautiful and interesting planet has to offer.
Enjoy stories about nature, wildlife, culture, people, history and more to come.
5 Star Hotel or Prison? Norway's Most Luxurious Prison | Short Documentary
World's Most Luxurious Prison | Halden Prison: Vacation For Murderers? : youtu.be/Uz_Ukcgi4p4
Presented by Ann Widdecombe, this documentary goes behind the walls of one of the most unusual prisons in the world, Halden Prison in Norway. In her time as the government’s Justice Minister back in the 1990’s, Ann Widdecombe visited 135 prisons in the UK and believes that a prison should be ‘decent but austere’. It certainly shouldn’t feel like a hotel.
Norway boasts one of the lowest rates of recidivism in the world so Ann is intrigued to find out what they’re doing right and has come to Halden Prison to find out. Built ten years ago as a ground-breaking experiment, Halden Prison was designed to not look or feel like a prison. With prisoners’ human rights at the core of its philosophy, Halden Prison is the first in the world to host workshops, social workers, a college, a library, a music studio and a restaurant all under one roof. But while its humane approach has been revered by some, Halden Prison has been accused by others of being too luxurious, especially because it’s a maximum security prison - home to murderers, rapists and paedophiles.
With her knowledge of the UK prison system, Ann spends an eye-opening three days inside Halden as she meets staff, hears inmate’s stories and judges for herself whether the level of luxury in the prison is justified. She even meets a former inmate who was once known as the most dangerous man in Norway. From rapping in a state-of-the-art music studio to scooting down an underground security tunnel to attending a spiritual retreat, she’s on a quest to discover what the UK could learn from this radical Norwegian system. Baffled by some aspects of the prison and impressed by others, Ann wonders if Halden is the prison of the future or is it just too expensive?
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Subscribe Free Doc Bites for free: bit.ly/37La07O
Facebook: bit.ly/2QfRxbG
Twitter: bit.ly/2QlwRiI
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
#FreeDocumentary #ShortDocs #halden #norway #prisonlife #behindbars
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Free Doc Bites is dedicated to bringing high-class short documentaries to you on YouTube for free. With the latest camera equipment used by well-known filmmakers working for famous production studios. You will see fascinating shots from the deep seas and up in the air, capturing great stories and pictures from everything our beautiful and interesting planet has to offer.
Enjoy stories about nature, wildlife, culture, people, history and more to come.
