Almost four years after he was released, news meets him outside Halden prison. Hasan Naqvi does not hide that it is special to be back by the high concrete walls. – I don’t get any good vibrations from those walls. Those walls feel evil because they are the walls that have stopped me from meeting my family. He is aware that it was the consequences of his actions that brought him there, but still the walls feel evil. Marit Skartveit and Hasan Naqvi outside Halden prison, which was ready in 2010. Around 250 people are serving a sentence in the prison at any given time. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein Young Guns became like family At the age of 15, Hasan had lost both his mother and father. In the years that followed, the Young Guns gang became his closest friends. The gang gave him security and acceptance, but also led to him getting into trouble. The 49-year-old has been in prison for gang-related violence and drug offenses several times. Naqvi was in Young Guns for several years. Here he is photographed many years ago. Photo: Privat Today, life looks different. Hasan lives in Jessheim and works as an accountant. A so-called “silence retreat” in prison gets much of the credit for the fact that he has managed to stay away from crime in recent years. Silent for 21 days Since 2013, Halden prison has offered a silent retreat under the auspices of the Salvation Army, the Norwegian Church and the Correctional Service to its inmates. For 21 days, a small group of inmates live in their own part of the prison cut off from the rest. The aim is for them to be completely quiet for three weeks. This is what it looks like in the part of Halden prison where the silence retreat takes place. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein The only interruption is a daily conversation with a priest. Hasan was skeptical. Especially because he had to give up things that were important to him in order to survive everyday life in prison. – When you are already in prison, you also have to give up the TV and all that sort of thing. It felt like a voluntary punishment. But in the end he said yes. The period of silence has been documented in the film “Punishment”, which was released in cinemas recently. Silence became crucial At first he thought it was small to be completely silent. Strange to get along with the others without saying anything. But eventually he found that the silence forced him to look inward, and that he could no longer escape from his own thoughts. Priest Marit Skartveit meant a lot to Hasan Naqvi during his time in Halden prison. They are both in the documentary film “Punishment”. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein Not least priest Marit Skartveit became important to him. He felt he could say anything to her, without fear of punishment later on. – It is very nice to get to know these people, and to see how nice they are. I really believe that when they see for themselves how good they are, they have a lot to give to society, says Skartveit. Marit Skartveit has worked in Halden prison for a number of years. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein Skartveit has seen that the project has helped several inmates, and believes it is about giving them peace to think the long thoughts. – I think I had a turning point in the retreat without really understanding it then and there, says Hasan. Decided to stay focused on the important During the period of silence, he realized what is important in his life. He thought about who he always chose to call in the 20 minutes he had available for phone time a week; the two children and the rest of the family. In the past, Hasan has learned that he may have decided on one thing during his sentence, but that his priorities have changed when he was released. A period of silence was crucial to getting out of crime, says Hasan Naqvi himself. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein But in the silence retreat he decided that he would continue to focus on the most important thing, even when he came out. Psychologist: – The brain is adapted to a different time Psychologist Elisabeth Bakke Husabø has used silence in the treatment of children and young people who struggle with anxiety. – Adolescence is the time in life when we have to find out who we are and what we want with our lives. It is work that probably came more naturally 30 or 100 years ago, because then you had more silence around you, says Husabø. Psychologist Elisabeth Bakke Husabø believes we should be more quiet. Photo: Privat She believes the human brain is adapted to a completely different time than the one we live in now. – Now we are constantly exposed to impressions, which means that signals are sent around the brain constantly. Today, we can go through our entire lives without silence. By silence, the psychologist does not just mean time without sound, but also without mobile phones and TV. Screens are also a form of noise, she believes. – Total silence for 21 days is very extreme. But in a normal everyday life, starting with five minutes of silence a day can also be significant. Silence allows us to face our own feelings. – The safest thing would have been to call the old brothers. When Hasan was released from prison, he was at first unsure of where to go. – The safest thing would be to call the old brothers. Because then the apartment and money would have been arranged in a couple of days. But then I thought: “now I must not change my priorities”. – It feels ambivalent to be back, says Hasan Naqvi about Halden prison. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein He ended up living with his ex-wife for a couple of months, then moved into a collective. Now Hasan lives alone in a house in Jessheim, and has managed to keep the promise he made to himself during the period of silence. He still seeks silence, and advises others, regardless of their life situation, to do the same: – You are forced to see what is happening inside you, right? As usual, we have Netflix, TikTok and telephone. Anything to avoid our own thoughts. Published 24.11.2024, at 12.37 p.m
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Silence helped Hasan out of gang crime – news Culture and entertainment
