[8] Before the current prison, the island was occupied by a juvenile detention centre, Bastøy Boys' Home.

In 1915, it was the site of an insurrection by the boys which was suppressed by the Norwegian military; this event was later dramatised in the 2010 film, King of Devil's Island.

The group refused to work, armed themselves with farming tools and stones, cut the telephone lines and then burned down the barn with stolen matches and cigars.

Also on scene were two seaplanes, two submarines, and the armored ship "Norway" from the naval base Karljohansvern in Horten.

Officials identified the ringleader of the rioters as a newly arrived 18-year-old "gypsy boy" plumbing apprentice from Christiania.

The 1915 uprising did not end the school's strict disciplinarian methods which continued until 1953 when the Ministry of Social Affairs took over operations.

At the prison, inmates live in cottages, dine on food cooked by a chef, and enjoy a sauna, tennis courts and horseback riding.

In 2014, the prison was awarded the 2014 Blanche Major Reconciliation Prize for "promoting human values and tolerance".

Social scientists have claimed this can result in additional, unusual stressors not found in more traditional high-security prisons.