Known as the Devils Island in the Oslofjord this boarding school for truant teenagers was in operation from around 1900 to 1970 where the awareness of the use of violence put an end to this type of boarding school in Norway.
Among the punishments inflicted were birching where the students could receive up to 12 blows to their naked back.
It couldn’t have been fun to be there as a teenager.
Sources:
- Derfor tiet ansatte om vold i barnehjem (NRK – in Norwegian language)
- Bastøy skolehjem (Norwegian Wikipedia)
- Djeveløya i Oslofjorden, historien om Bastøy og andre straffeanstalter for slemme gutter – by Yngvar Ustvedt (ISBN 978-82-022-0432-7)
