Norway is a long and narrow country situated north in Europe, and has a relatively low population density. There are few public transport links outside of the big cities, occasionally hard weather affecting the driving conditions and long distances between where people live. As a consequence, there is a need for a relatively large number of prisons. At the same time, the proximity principle is one of the most important principles in the Norwegian Correctional Service. It is acknowledged that closeness to one’s family and the community one will return to is vital for the reintegration process. Norway therefore has a long tradition of having many small-scale district prisons.