Menendez brothers lead prison beautification project inspired by Norway penal system

The Menendez brothers — who were fixed a caller changeable astatine freedom 35 years aft gunning down their parents — person been moving connected a beautification task successful situation that’s designed to mimic nan much humanitarian conditions successful nan Norwegian penal system.

Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted of nan 1989 shotgun execution of their parents, person been trying to amended nan San Diego situation wherever they’ve been incarcerated for nan past six years and are serving life sentences. Prior to that, nan slayer siblings had been successful abstracted accommodation since 1996.

In 2018, Lyle, 56, launched an inaugural called Green Space, astatine nan Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. His younger brother, Erik, 53, is nan lead creator for a monolithic mural illustrating San Diego landmarks.

Scenes of “America’s Finest City” will yet screen nan wrong perimeter of 40-foot actual walls wrong nan prison’s Echo Yard.

“This task hopes to normalize nan situation wrong nan situation to bespeak nan surviving situation extracurricular nan prison,” Pedro Calderón Michel, lawman property caput for nan California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said Friday.

The brothers are awaiting resentencing aft spending much than 30 years down bars for nan grisly slaying of their parents, Jose and Kitty, successful their ritzy Beverly Hills mansion. The lawsuit captivated nan federation and spawned Ryan Murphy’s celebrated Netflix bid 3 decades later.

Green Space borrowed from nan creation of Norwegian prisons. Norway believes successful a much humane strategy of incarceration, which involves giving inmates much authorities and bully environs successful which to live.

Small prisons dot nan countryside, which permits inmates to service their sentences adjacent to home, said Kristian Mjåland, a Norwegian subordinate professor of sociology astatine nan University of Agder successful Kristiansand.

There are astir 3,000 group imprisoned successful Norway, he added, which intends nan nation’s per-capita incarceration complaint is astir one-tenth that of nan United States.

Norway has immoderate of nan world’s lowest levels of recidivism. Statistics show nan number of group reconvicted wrong 2 years of merchandise successful 2020 arsenic 16%, pinch nan fig falling each year.

Mjåland said nan accuracy guiding Norway’s incarceration strategy is that inmates should beryllium treated decently by well-trained unit and person nan chance to prosecute successful meaningful activities during nan day.

Terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 8 group successful a 2011 bombing successful Oslo and gunned down 69 others astatine a campy for young left-leaning activists, has a eating room, fittingness room and TV room pinch an Xbox. His compartment — which he shares pinch parakeets — is dressed up pinch a poster of nan Eiffel Tower.

Green Space’s eventual extremity astatine nan situation is transforming its gait “from an oppressive actual and gravel slab into a normalized park-like field mounting surrounded by a majestic scenery mural,” according to the project’s website.

The last merchandise will see outdoor classrooms, rehabilitation group gathering spaces and training areas for work dogs.

Attorney Mark Geragos, who represents nan brothers, said he believes Lyle Menendez learned astir nan Norwegian exemplary during his assemblage classes. He is presently enrolled successful a master’s programme and has studied municipality readying and recidivism.

With Post wires