How much should a human being be punished for doing something wrong?
America certainly believes all criminals are freedom-hating traitors because if you commit a first-degree murder here in Louisiana, the prison capital of the world, you might receive the death penalty. If not, you will definitely spend some serious time treated like your life is worthless behind bars.
America loves to imprison its citizens. In fact, the U.S. has had the highest incarceration rate in the world since 2002, according to the Population Reference Bureau. But it’s the recidivism rate, a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, that is the most shocking.
In a 2014 study, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 67.8 percent of prisoners released in 2005 were imprisoned again within three years and 76.6 percent within five years. After a person has been imprisoned, he or she should get out with a new mindset and try to change themselves for the better. But America’s prison system makes it seem like criminals miss it so much that they cannot wait to get back in there.
Norway’s recidivism rate is 20 percent, which makes it one of the lowest in the world. The biggest difference is inmates are actually treated like people. If you compare the circumstances to American prisons, it’s like comparing heaven to hell.
Most cells in Norway have a mini-fridge, a flat screen TV and an attached bathroom. Prisoners also share a kitchen and a living room with each other where they can relax and eat together. Some prisons even have organized “free time,” where prisoners can play basketball on an indoor court, make use of a rock-climbing wall or play soccer on a field. Prisons also have a well-kept yard, which provides great places to relax.
And maybe the most important part, prisoners do not get yelled at or experience any kind of violence from security guards.
The Committee of Ministers in Europe made it illegal for security guards to offend the prisoners’ “worthiness.” In a calm environment like Norwegian prisons, there is also no reason for guards to yell. It would simply result in making everybody uncomfortable.
A person often commits a crime because he or she is mad about something. This hatred only increases in an environment like American prisons and when they are released, the only thing that might have changed is the amount of brotherhood tattoos.
In Norway, however, prisoners experience a kind of rehabilitation while they wait for their sentence to be over. When they then get out, they are not mad at society. They might go up to random people on the street to thank them for the taxes they paid that changed their life. But they are not looking for revenge.
We are always complaining about crime in this country that we forget criminals are people as well. Prisons are isolating and provide a place for bad guys to share their hatred with other hateful people. It is a place where it seems inevitable for them to go insane. And freshly released insane people do not
decrease crime rates.
Markus Hüfner is a 19-year-old mass communication freshman from Kristiansand, Norway. You can follow him on Twitter @MHufner_TDR.
