The Criminal Asylum Museum is an exhibit that examines the history of high-security psychiatric institutions, with a focus on the first of these institutions established in Norway in 1895.The exhibit examines how society treated people considered dangerous criminals and mentally ill and how society’s need for security was negotiated over the rights of individuals. In the exhibition you can visit patients’ cells and learn about life at the Criminal Asylum and Reitgjerdet, a similar facility in Trondheim established in 1923 under the same leadership.The Criminal Asylum was originally conceived as a hospital, but actually functioned primarily as a high-security institution. The exhibition examines how society has balanced the need for security with individual rights and needs throughout history.Most serious crimes are committed by healthy individuals, and people with mental illnesses rarely pose a threat to others. This exposition focuses on a small group of people whom society has difficulty regulating through the law.The exhibit is located on the ground floor of the East Wing of the former Criminal Asylum and offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between society, crime and mental health.
