The defiant garden : the prison garden as a healing environment in Norwegian prisons : challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Norway is well known for its humanitarian approaches to criminal rehabilitation and has the reputation of being one of the most progressive countries actively working with the modern prison system. Landscape architecture and the prison system are two specific entities that offer many opportunities when put together, but their overlap still remains understudied. The field of landscape architecture offers a platform that brings together environmental theories, health studies and a prison environment. I will discuss if and how landscape architecture may be applied in a prison setting. By identifying barriers and benefits we can improve our understanding of the potential role landscape architecture may have in rehabilitation and individual wellbeing in prisons. Better linking our understanding of prison conditions and the needs of inmates helps us contemplate the barriers to integrating landscape architecture in prisons. I have had the privilege of working with Stavanger prison women ́s section to form a basis for the project section of this thesis. Women in prisons are a minority group and often excluded from studies and less prioritized because of the low numbers that women represent in prisons. Bringing green elements into the prison landscape is important and should be prioritized because of the multiple benefits for the inmates.