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Books & Papers

Fluxen Prison Dialogues in Norway

Trine-Line Biong and Christian Valentiner

"I came for the sweets, but the dialogue was actually really good." Trine-Line Biong and Christian Valentiner document Flux's prison dialogues in Norway, where bringing staff and prisoners together in the same circle transforms what's possible.

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The Flux Foundation's journey with dialogue began when Henrik Tschudi met David Bohm in Copenhagen in 1989. This paper documents how that inspiration became practical prison work across Norway, starting in 2015. A distinctive feature: sessions bring staff and prisoners together as equals. The authors observe that prisoner-only sessions tend to circle around grievances, while mixed sessions offer richer perspective. Prisoners consistently ask for more staff to participate, a sign that something different is happening. One striking moment: a prisoner suggested inmates should train summer temp officers because they knew the routines better. The senior officer took the idea seriously. The paper offers practical lessons: use the same visible framework every time (even when it feels repetitive), log everything, and bring treats; "I came for the sweets, but the dialogue was actually really good." From Bergen to Bredtveit Women's Prison, the work continues expanding.

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Books & Papers

Topics

Dialogue in prisons and justice settingsInternational

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28 min

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