One in three inmates in Norway is a foreigner
34 per cent of the inmates in Norwegian prisons are foreigners. Poles, Lithuanians and Romanians are the largest nationalities after Norwegians.
As of June 1, there are 1,260 foreigners and 2,431 Norwegians inmates in Norwegian prisons, show figures that VG has received from the Norwegian Criminal Service Directorate (KDI). The figures include those that serve their sentence in Norgerhaven in the Netherlands. The classification in the statistics is conducted by citizenship, therefore Norwegian citizens with foreign backgrounds count as Norwegians.
Long sentences for drugs
Among the Norwegian inmates, the most common offenses are drugs, sedation, bodily harm, rape and murder. Among the foreigners, drugs and drug trafficking, thefts, violation of immigration laws and rape are the most common crimes.
– Some types of crime, such as drug smuggling and drug production, give long sentences. It is not only the number of convicts, but also the length of the sentence which counts, which means that there are many foreigners incarnated, says researcher Tore Rokkan at the Norwegian Criminal Care School and Education Center, highlighting drug trafficking and drug production.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
