Prison - punishment or rehabilitation?

The prisons systems across the world can be different. As part of this thread, I will bring up two opposing systems of jail - prison as a punishment and prison as a centre for rehabilitation to make the prisoners successful in life after getting out. A good example of a prison as punishment is the US system, while to opposing system I would bring is the Norwegian system.

Whenever I look in the US sentences, I feel it is absurd. Even minor things can get you in jail for years. The prison is not a rehab, but a way to punish the inmates. A victimless offence can get you more jail time than a maximum sentence (21 years) in Norway. The prisons can be dangerous places to be and do not focus on improving the inmates. Even after getting out, the inmates are highly to commit an offence again (75%), especially due to the society look as "once a criminal, always one". Prisoners are less likely to have a good job afterwards and they just go back to crime.

In Norway, the society sees prisons as place to retrain the inmates, to focus on making them a productive member of the society later on and get them a good path. They receive top-notch opportunities, whether health care is needed, mental therapy or addiction therapy. 90% of sentences are less than 1 year and the recidivism is a mere 20%. For example, this is how Halden prison is described as:

Halden Prison has been called “incredibly luxurious” and one of the most humane prisons in the world. This maximum security prison sits on 75 acres near the Swedish border. Incarcerated individuals live in single-prisoner cells that are more like dorm rooms than jail cells. Each room has a private bathroom, a flat screen television, and a window that looks over leafy scenery.
The prison has a fitness center, library, chapel, athletic fields, family visiting center, a school, and even a full recording studio. The prison itself is decorated in bright colors and features original artwork. A famous Norwegian artist named Dolk was hired to create bright murals throughout the building’s hallways.

It is uncommon for prisoners to learn additional skills like carpentry/automotive repairs/cooking or even get a higher education during their stay. If the inmates were unemployed before, then they are more likely to get a work after prison (42% of unemployeed prisoners receive a job after) . The food at the prisons is high quality and there are even open-air prisons in an island, where inmates do not escape despite having a chance.

Sources:
What Norway's prison system can teach the United States

Recidivism American Progress/

Norway prison system lesson

The approaches are completely different, but focusing on prisoners as humans with a chance to live a productive life as a tax payer afterwards bring results. Of course, American privatized prisons also increase rates and try to make prisoners life like hell in order to maximise the profits. What do you think?

Prison is only meant to breed more crime, punishment however...

originally posted by: Ilikesecrets
Prison is only meant to breed more crime, punishment however...

Isn't American prisons based on profit ?

I've seen a couple of shows about the Norway prisons. They have a proven track record.

Too much money being made here in the states, to try something that might actually work.

Cause what we have now sure isn't working.

A comparison of crime and recidivism rates should tell you everything you need to know.

Punishment or rehabilitation? A prison should be both. Some offenders are impossible to rehabilitate, it must be determined in the first month of incarceration before the prison "system" takes hold. But it's not just the prison. One must look at the life of the offender after they are released. As there are places where crime is a way of life, sad but true. For those who can be rehabilitated their crimes and the reason behind their crimes has to be at the forefront to rehabilitate.

The problem with the US prison system is it's been privatized, meaning it's a 'for profit' system. The longer the sentence, the more secure profits become, so the MO is not to incarcerate criminals until they have a long record of habitual crimes.

It would be nice to think the system could change from making vast amounts of money to helping criminals become productive members of society, but that isn't how the US operates. We're all about making the most money possible, regardless of who or how many it hurts.

At this point in life one of those cushy Fed prisons would be a Vacation i'm tired of Adulting .

originally posted by: chiefsmom
I've seen a couple of shows about the Norway prisons. They have a proven track record.

Too much money being made here in the states, to try something that might actually work.

Cause what we have now sure isn't working.

I really dislike when we use examples of the country to country for just about anything since countries are just not equal to do so. When we look at Norway it has a population of 5 million and a much different cultural element than America.

The murder rate there is extremely low .53 per 100,000 compared to the US of 6.5 per 100,000. There are many factors why, one is that it is cold as hell most of the year..lol, they also have an extremely low poverty rate with such a small population which means people have a tendency not to need crime as a choice.

They do well in rehab with only 20% going back to prison, the US is 36%. The interesting part is Sweden right next door is about equal to the US in crime and has a higher repeat offenders percentage of 43%, England is 46%, and Canada is 41%.

So why all the hate on America's system...lol