© Getty Images

Bastøy Prison, Norway -

This Norwegian prison is not quite what we’d expect from a penitentiary. Believe it or not, Norway's Bastoy prison island operates on the basis of trust and respect, so much so that guards are not even armed.

© Getty Images

Bastøy Prison, Norway -

Inmates live in cabins instead of cells, and they are allowed to grow and cook their own food, and have access to a number of unlikely perks, including a tanning bed and the freedom to go fishing. All inmates are required to work, however.

© Getty Images

Bastøy Prison, Norway -

"It's like living in a village, a community," said one inmate in an interview with The Guardian. 

© Getty Images

Bastøy Prison, Norway -

This eco-friendly low-security prison may sound more like a summer camp than a penitentiary, but Norway has the lowest reoffending rate in Europe so maybe they’re onto something!

© Getty Images

Maricopa County, Arizona, US -

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is the fourth largest Sheriff's Office in the US. For 24 years, former Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, implemented several strange rules and regulations that earned him the nickname 'America's Toughest Sheriff.'

© Getty Images

Maricopa County, Arizona, US -

One of these bizarre policies was the compulsory use of pink underwear. The measure was implemented after regular white underwear, which was given by Maricopa County's jails, went missing. Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s solution to deter thieves was to go pink.

© Getty Images

Maricopa County, Arizona, US -

Joe Arpaio was so invested in the idea that other items, including sweaters, blankets, and socks, were made pink too! Arpaio's successor ended the pink reign across Maricopa County's jails.

© Getty Images

Maricopa County, Arizona, US -

Joe Arpaio’s pink revolution wasn’t his only bizarre policy. He also made inmates eat a vegetarian diet. Plus, they were only served two meals a day, instead of the usual three.

© Getty Images

Tent City, Arizona, US -

Tent City was yet another idea of the controversial Sheriff. He thought that keeping prisoners in canvas tents under the extreme Arizona heat was the best way to punish them. Tent City closed down in 2017.

© Getty Images

Aranjuez Prison, Spain -

This Spanish prison allows for inmates with children under the age of three to live with them in a family cell.

© Getty Images

Aranjuez Prison, Spain -

Aranjuez Prison's large family cells allow for families to be together, at least until the child is old enough to live with the parent who is not incarcerated. Because there are multiple inmates in this situation, their children also have the opportunity to interact and play with other inmates’ children.

© Getty Images

HM Prison Service, UK -

Prisoners can’t watch whatever movie they want in the UK. Since 2013, movies with a UK rating of 18 are not allowed in prison. The 18-rated movie ban came into force to prevent “violent and explicit” content from being viewed in prisons.

© Getty Images

San Pedro Prison, Bolivia -

If it wasn’t for the walls, this prison in La Paz, Bolivia could be any other poor neighborhood in the city. Like in the outside world, more money will get you better living conditions. This means that inmates can really invest in luxury cells.

© Getty Images

San Pedro Prison, Bolivia -

There are no actual guards inside this self-contained city. Prisoners govern themselves and have their own economy. This means that they can purchase or rent their cells, buy and sell goods, and everything in between.

© Getty Images

Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Philippines -

In 2008, a dancing rehabilitation program for inmates was introduced. Prisoners filmed their performances and even uploaded them onto YouTube. Some of them went viral!

© Getty Images

Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Philippines -

Cebu’s inmates rehearse complex choreography and have even made public performances.

© Getty Images

Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Philippines -

"If they say laughter is the best medicine, how much more for dancing?," said Patrick Rubio of the Philippines' Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

© Getty Images

Fortezza Medicea prison, Italy -

This Italian prison has inmates running their own restaurant. The initiative is part of a rehabilitation scheme. If you’re looking to sample Italian cuisine in a Renaissance fortress and don’t mind all the checkpoints and eating with plastic cutlery, then this is the place to go!

© Public Domain

New York prison system, US -

The US prison system has some strange policies regarding books and many have been banned. In 2018, the New York prison system piloted the ‘Secure Vendor Program.’ This meant that inmates could only be gifted items from specifically selected vendors, including books.

© Getty Images

New York prison system, US -

New York author Molly Crabapple criticized the limited selection. "They offer 5 junk intimate novels, 14 Bibles & religious books, 24 drawing/coloring books, 21 puzzle books, 11 guitar/chess/how-to books, 1 dictionary, 1 thesaurus. No other books can be sent in," the author wrote on X (then Twitter).

© Getty Images

Book bans across the US prison system -

Book bans across the US prison system affect thousands of inmates. In Florida alone, over 22,000 books are banned. Approved vendor policies have been implemented in several states too.

© Getty Images

Texas prison system, US -

Solitary confinement can really destroy a person's mental health, but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice managed to find a way to make it even more uncomfortable for female inmates—by dressing them in white gowns instead of the traditional prison uniforms.

© Getty Images

Texas prison system, US -

They were provided with a gown, underwear, and socks. However, if inmates wanted other items of clothing, such as pants or boots, they'd have to pay for them. The bizarre gown policy came to an end in 2023.

© Getty Images

Magilligan Prison, Northern Ireland, UK -

Magilligan Prison is home to numerous elderly inmates. They were introduced to horticulture and bird-keeping to encourage a healthier lifestyle and combat isolation. The prison has its own aviary! 

© Getty Images

Photographs in US prisons (various states) -

The number of photographs an inmate can have in their cells varies, depending on the prison. For example, inmates in Ohio can have one hundred of them, whereas in some Arkansas prisons, inmates are only allowed to have five photos at any given time. Apparently, this is because photos are a fire hazard.

© Getty Images

AC in US prisons (various states) -

There are no overall rules when it comes to air conditioning in prisons across the US. Despite some prisons being located in places where temperatures soar to dangerous highs, many don’t have AC. This has led to numerous problems for both inmates and prison staff, including heat strokes and even deaths.

© Getty Images

Pennsylvania prison system, US -

Cigarettes are not only smoked in prison but they’re also used as currency. Except in Pennsylvania, of course, where all tobacco products are banned.

© Getty Images

Yaroslavl prison, Russia -

Russia’s prison system is not for the fainthearted. At Yaroslavl prison, new inmates are subject to a so-called "intake" ceremony, where guards beat them while heavy metal is blasting through speakers at high volume.

© Getty Images

Yaroslavl prison, Russia -

The ceremony is designed to establish dominance over the new arrivals through fear and humiliation, reports the BBC. Sometimes, inmates are killed in the process.

Sources: (BBC) (Time) (Newsweek) (The Guardian) (News.com.au) (Belfast Telegraph) (Interrogating Justice) (Grunge) (Cracked) 

See also: The shocking history of mental health treatments

© Getty Images