In America we really have some of the worst places to be locked up in. Nobody in this country really wants to spend time in the pokey, but thousands upon thousands pour into the prisons like clockwork. I would call many of our prisons along with many local law enforcement agencies around the country to be near-fascist. Is being hard and brutal solving the problem, or are we hurting ourselves out of a false sense of "justice"?
One country (along with a few others in Europe) have quite a unique prison system. They still have prisoners, and the traditional guards that any country would have. However, unlike our American system, they actually treat their inmates like people. Yes people, because you know criminals are still human too in-case you've forgotten.
This is what Norwegian prison cell looks like. Looks more like a small college dorm room. Not only are the cells humane, but most places are built to be seen like the outside world. Prison guards don't even carry guns, and treat their inmates more like their pals than their enemies. You might think that only the good criminals get sent to places like these. Well you're wrong, most of these places have their fair share of rapists, and murderers. You can see more pictures here, and read Time's well written article here.
Now granted Norway has a lower crime rate than most other countries (they have much better social security techniques to fight poverty, and workers have more rights), but roughly 20% of inmates return versus 50-60% in America. Even if we got on-board with the idea, I don't think we'll be able to match Norway in terms of quality, but we sure can shape up on prison systems and turn punishment into rehab for your character.
By: Adam Rankin
No comments:
Post a Comment