By inclusive, we are referring to societies that leave no one behind. Societies characterised by mutual trust, safety, belonging and access to education, work, health care and a strong local community.

By safe, we are referring to the effects detention has on public safety. When prison becomes a place of containment, passivity, uncertainty and frustration, the people who are released will be in the same position or worse off by the day of release. If people do something meaningful with the time they are incarcerated and stay connected to community-life, they will have better preconditions to succeed. This shared responsibility could over time reduce recidivism and lead to safer societies.

By sustainable, we are referring to our future-oriented approach: socially, economically and environmentally. Large prison institutions at a large distance from society are not a sustainable solution. These institutions are a major investment, requiring a lot of time and money spent on prognoses, analyses and planning. Neither are they easy to transform, if and when there is change in the needed capacity, ideology of punishment and trends in the correctional services. They are a short-term solution reflecting the penal situation at a certain point in time, and hence not the way to go for an uncertain future. Detention houses are more flexible and dynamic. As they are small and blend in with their communities, they can at any given time be rehabilitated or transformed into e.g. regular houses. This way, they tend towards environmental sustainability

Detention houses are economically sustainable as they can create their own income by providing goods and services to their local communities. Also in the sense that for every person who returns to a law-abiding life, one would save the cost of another crime, police resources, the cost of prosecution and the cost of the prison sentence.  Small scaled facilities also tend to allocate (human) resources in a more efficient manner, spending less time in bureaucracy or in complex hierarchies of decision-making.

Detention houses may also contribute to social sustainability. Successful returns will ease the suffering on all parts involved in a criminal act – the incarcerated person, their family and friends, and (potential) victims. Detention houses could in this sense contribute to less crime and safer societies. As detention houses are located in local communities, they can promote social and cultural life, and citizen engagement. Due to the dynamic interaction, prejudices and misconceptions can be reduced. Over time, this could give rise to stronger and more inclusive communities. Thus, we believe that detention houses do not only meet the needs of current societies but could also support well-functioning societies in the future.