The Menendez brothers built a green space in prison. It’s modeled on this Norwegian idea

COPENHAGEN -- Nearly 30 years aft they killed their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez launched a beautification task successful nan California situation wherever they're serving life sentences.

Their task was inspired by nan Norwegian attack to incarceration that believes rehabilitation successful humane prisons surrounded by quality leads to successful reintegration into society, moreover for those who person committed unspeakable crimes.

Norway is simply a long, constrictive state successful bluish Europe, moving 1,100 miles (1,750 kilometers) from northbound to south. It has group up mini prisons crossed nan country, which allows group to service their sentences adjacent to home, said Kristian Mjåland, a Norwegian subordinate professor of sociology astatine nan University of Agder successful Kristiansand.

The full state has astir 3,000 group successful prison, he said, putting Norway’s per-capita incarceration complaint astatine astir one-tenth that of nan United States.

Norway has immoderate of nan world’ lowest levels of recidivism. Government statistic springiness nan proportionality of group reconvicted wrong 2 years of merchandise successful 2020 arsenic 16%, pinch nan fig falling each year. Meanwhile, a U.S. Department of Justice survey carried retired complete a decade recovered that 66% of group released from authorities prisons successful 24 states were rearrested wrong 3 years, and astir of those were incarcerated again.

Mjåland said Norway's incarceration strategy is based connected nan principles that group should beryllium “treated decently by well-trained and decent staff” and person “opportunities for meaningful activities during nan day” — thing he called nan “principle of normality” — and that they should clasp their basal rights.

Mjåland, whose investigation has focused connected punishments and prisons, said that, for instance, prisoners successful Norway clasp nan correct to ballot and entree services specified arsenic libraries, wellness attraction and acquisition delivered by nan aforesaid providers moving successful nan wider community.

Norway besides operates unfastened prisons, immoderate connected islands wherever location is simply a batch of workplace activity and interaction pinch nature. The astir celebrated is connected nan land of Bastoey, “which is very beautifully located successful nan Oslo Fjord,” Mjåland said.

Even Anders Behring Breivik — who killed 8 group successful nan 2011 bombing of a authorities building successful Oslo, past gunned down 69 much astatine a vacation campy for left-leaning younker activists — has a eating room, fittingness room and TV room pinch an Xbox. His compartment wall is dressed up pinch a poster of nan Eiffel Tower and parakeets stock his space.

The thought of creating normal, humane conditions for group successful situation is starting to dispersed successful nan U.S. arsenic well.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, for instance, has successful caller years been trying to use definite elements of nan Nordic approach, and unveiled a program it calls “Little Scandinavia” successful a situation successful Chester successful 2022.

The Menendez brothers’ lawsuit was again successful nan nationalist spotlight Thursday erstwhile nan Los Angeles County district lawyer recommended that their life-without-parole sentences beryllium thrown out. Prosecutors dream a judge will resentence them truthful they tin beryllium eligible for parole.

If nan judge agrees, a parole committee must past o.k. their release. The last determination rests pinch nan California governor.

Their lawyer and nan LA territory lawyer based on that they person served capable time, citing grounds that they suffered beingness and intersexual maltreatment astatine nan hands of their intermezo executive father. They besides opportunity that nan brothers, now successful their 50s, are exemplary prisoners who person committed themselves to rehabilitation and redemption.

Both constituent to nan brothers' years of efforts to amended nan San Diego situation wherever they person lived for six years. Before that, nan 2 had been held successful abstracted prisons since 1996.

In 2018, Lyle Menendez launched nan beatification program, Green Space, astatine nan Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. His brother, Erik Menendez, is nan lead creator for a monolithic mural that depicts San Diego landmarks.

“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, told nan AP successful an email Friday.

The Menendez brothers' activity is ongoing, pinch nan eventual extremity of transforming nan situation 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.

The situation strategy precocious launched nan “California Model” successful nan hopes of bringing akin projects crossed nan authorities to build “safer communities done rehabilitation, acquisition and reentry,” Calderón Michel wrote.

The brothers' lawyer, Mark Geragos, said he believes Lyle Menendez learned astir nan Norwegian exemplary during his assemblage classes. Lyle Menendez is presently enrolled successful a master's programme wherever he's studied municipality readying and recidivism, and Geragos said his customer hopes nan beautification will make reintroduction into society easier for group who are paroled.

“When you’re location successful a grey abstraction that is not very welcoming, it’s disorienting to immoderate degree,” Geragos told The Associated Press connected Friday. “And besides you person nan rumor that nan terrain is not thing that’s welcoming aliases adjuvant successful position of being acclimated and being re-acclimated into a community.”

Dominique Moran, a professor astatine nan University of Birmingham successful nan U.K. said she recovered successful her investigation that introducing greenish spaces successful prisons improves nan wellbeing of prisoners arsenic good arsenic correctional staff.

“Green spaces successful prisons trim self-harm and violence, and besides reduces unit sickness,” said Moran, writer of “Carceral Geography: Spaces and Practices of Incarceration.”

Moran has studied prisons astir nan world, and said successful an emailed connection that successful nan Scandinavian approach, “people spell to situation AS punishment, not FOR further punishment."

“The deprivation of liberty is itself nan punishment," she said. "There should not beryllium further reward done nan quality of nan situation successful which group are held.”

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Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland, and Dazio from Los Angeles. David Keyton contributed from Berlin.