Danish people do a lot of things differently, I find. Not only do they design clean, spare, light furniture, but they design clean, spare, light prisons, part of one facility being pictured above.
Most of Denmark's jails are low-security open prisons, where inmates can use the internet, cook their own food and get weekend leave. They can also go in for online dating, through an online group called "date an inmate."
Most of the 10,000 members of the group are women -- who are not behind bars. One prisoner who is one-third of the way through his sentence (for drug dealing) said, "It's a good way to get in touch with women." Are the women spooked by the fact that they are chatting online with offenders? Apparently not. Like ordinary women, they are just looking for romance.
Another prisoner said that for many prisoners the prospect of finding a romantic partner gave a good incentive for good behavior inside, and hope for a good life once outside. It was something to fight for, he said.
The guards are happy about it. Said a press release officer, "We know that when inmates have served their sentence, if they have a family or a partner that is one of the key elements in not committing new crimes."
Will the idea pay off? Only time will tell.
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