Nordic Prisons

[Jazzy]

Nordic Prisons Are Nothing Like American Ones

James Conway, retired Superintendent of Attica Correctional Facility in New York, visited four Nordic prisons and facilities and was stunned when he saw inmates had access to metal silverware, power tools, and various other (potentially dangerous) luxuries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g56susrNQY

Thoughts?

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Maybe their inmates don't attack each other as much as ours do?

 

[seasidemike]

I wonder what their rate of violent crimes are in the prisons?
It is a tough one, I guess it is a difference in philosophy regarding punishment or rehabilitation.

In the same way, I would bet an American policeman would think it is crazy how police over here and in other countries do not carry guns.

 

[Jazzy]

Since that prison looks like a country club, I wonder what the rate of repeat offenders are.

 

[seasidemike]

Just looking at some stats on line, the violent crime rate in the USA is 48% greater than in Norway taking population per million into consideration

 

[Jazzy]

Just looking at some stats on line, the violent crime rate in the USA is 48% greater than in Norway taking population per million into consideration

Why does that not surprise me. The USA is going to hell in a handbasket real fast!

 

[Guardian]

Maybe the truly violent ones have already killed each other? Or they're just smarter in general?

 

[Guardian]

The problem is we criminalize nearly everything in the US so it creates more desperate people in difficult situations.

 

[Evil Eye]

Which makes this even stranger to me. If violent crime is so uncommon there, you'd think they would take a harsher stance on it. Punish more severely for it.

Maybe, but it seems to work for them.

In contrast, other countries have models for prison systems that seem to be more effective at reducing recidivism and crime; most notably, Nordic prisons employ a philosophy of rehabilitation to decrease recidivism (Kjelsberg, et al., 2007). Consequently, the United States may possibly benefit from a decrease in recidivism by widely adopting features from the Nordic prison systems.

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/engage/incarceration-within-american-and-nordic-prisons/