(CNN) Heated floors, bike rides, and five-star cooking classes. Welcome to prison in Norway.

It looks nothing like most prisons in the US. That's because Norway's prison system is designed with three core values in mind: normality, humanity and rehabilitation. The point of incarceration in Norway, they say, is to make inmates "better neighbors" once they are released -- and they take that mission very seriously. Listen to this prison guard talk about his job:

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In the US, prison is generally seen as punishment for crimes committed. But Norway might change that. As part of a CNNgo special, "Welcome to Prison," we witnessed how one state has been trying to make dramatic reforms back home.

In 2015, prison directors and lawmakers from North Dakota traveled to see Norway's prisons for themselves. The trip was part of a program that takes state officials to visit the country, which has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. When the leaders returned, North Dakota slowly began making changes to its prison system.

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