Meeting with the Director of Halden Prison, Are Høidal, Kriminalomsorgen, Statsbygg. March 2009
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Are Høidal, Kriminalomsorgen, Statsbygg

Meeting with Halden Prison skole/fritids og arbejdsdrift. October 2009
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, skole/fritids og arbejdsdrift

Talk about cooperation on the garden project.

 

Interviews with inmates and staff. October 2010-March 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Inmates, Staff

To define the art projects I interviewed 40-50 inmates and asked them “what would you like to get out of your stay in prison?”. The inmates expressed a great need for more self-esteem and motivation. I also talked to about 20 people working at the prison and they had the same desire.

 

Workshop on development of life garden. February 2010
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Liselott Lindfors, Programenheden, Skoletjenesten

Liselott Lindfors, Garden and Landscape Therapist presented rehabiliteringsträdgård in Alnarp.

 

Opening of Halden Prison. 8th April 2010

March 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Are Høidal, Kriminalomsorgen, Statsbygg, Arne Gøran Antonsen

Discussion and approval of the LifeDevelopmentGarden project proposals with top management. Inspection and measurements of the garden. We talked to the prison gardener about the planning of the garden. Start-up planning.

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April 2011

Agreement with prison Rusmestringsenhed, where there are 10 inmates and 3 Environment Therapists, as co-partner for the project.

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Workshop. May 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Environment Therapists, Inmates

Workshop with the imnmates. We showed images of garden plans, materials, plants, etc. The inmates were working in groups. We worked on designing different garden plans. Made surveys. In order to get a spatial sense of the garden space we arranged sticks in the ground connected with a leash. Inmates defined their wishes for the garden: A greenhouse, tool shed, fountain, pavilion for group therapy, many seats, lawn, paths, raised beds, trees, beautiful flowers, fence facing the road.

We buy germinate boxes, soil and seeds so the inmates can germinate plants and flowers and care for them while we wait for spring.

 

Workshop. May 2011
Chalotte draw a garden plan that incorporates the required elements.

 

Raised beds workshop. June 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Environment Therapists, Inmates

Garden plan is discussed and approved by the inmates. We build raised beds of Siberian larch, that can handle the Norwegian harsh climate . We receive help from the prison workshop who lend us tools and competent manpower for the construction work. Raised beds are lined with insulation and anti weed material.

 

June 2011
Participants: Environment Therapists, Inmates

The inmates built a beautiful construction of firewood to serve as fence to the road.

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June 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Environment Therapists, Inmates

Further work to build the raised beds and the sprout plants are planted out in the raised beds.

 

June-July 2011
Participants: Environment Therapists, Inmates

Inmates continue construction of firewood and raised beds. Gardening and care of plants.

 

August 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Environment Therapists, Inmates

We continue the construction of raised beds. Excavation, gravel and paving as foundation for the greenhouse. We dug holes for trees and bushes. Purchase of plants and trees that are planted out. Translocation of sunflowers, becourse they had become too large in the raised beds. Excavation for a large bed in front of the gym.

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September 2011
Participants: Kenneth A. Balfelt, Chalotte Vad, Environment Therapists, Inmates

Meeting with Rusmestring about cooperation on the garden project. Gardening work and design process of a new tool shed.

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April 2012
I have now partnered with the new transition office in the prison. There are four sections in the C block where inmates, which has sooncompleted their sentences and shown motivation for working in the garden, can come. In these sections they will then use the garden as part of working towards release. The department should open the 1. October 2012. We will finish the construction of the garden together with inmates from the building trade.

 

2012-2013

Fences
The fence facing the road have to be covered with logs cut in half.
Complete firewood construction

Tool shed and greenhouse
Foundation and construction. The 19-20. April 2012 we made the ​​greenhouse and the foundation for the tool shed.

Large flower beds
Construction of raised beds
Planting of trees, shrubs and flowers

 

At the end of 2013

Pavilion
Design with inmates
Construction

Paths
Construction of paths

Furnishing
Construction of seating and working tables

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In the beginning of 2014

Course in garden therapy
Staff and inmates from the gardener group and employees from Avd. A 8 +8 (specialized unit for vulnerable prisoners) are given a course in gardening therapy.

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June 2014

Opening
The gardenis officially openedfor inmatesand the entire staff. The garden now belongs to the prison.