Think I'll go to Norway and commit a crime-

[packman]

A murder and drug dealer relaxing on the deck of his cottage:

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

"About 75 kilometers off the coast of Oslo in Norway, is an island that's home to some 115 criminals, including the country’s most dangerous, convicted of crimes such as murder, rape and drug dealing. However, doing time here is like being on a holiday. There are no barbed-wire-topped walls or electrified fences circle the island, nor do armed guards and attack dogs patrol the grounds. Prisoners live in brightly painted small wooden cottages, and tend to farm animals, grow crops and chop wood. For recreation, there's a beach where prisoners sunbathe in the summer, plenty of good fishing spots, horses for riding, a sauna and tennis courts. Dinner offers a choice of dishes such as “fish balls with white sauce and shrimps" and everything from chicken con carne to salmon"

Now, wonder what it would take to at least experiment with this type of treatment in the U.S.?

Seems to work though --- "Only 16% of prisoners who come out of Bastoy reoffend within two years of being released, compared to Norway's national average of 20 percent, and the European average of 70%."
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/04/bastoy-prison-worlds-nicest-prison.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amusingplanet+%28Amusing+Planet%29

[Bettie]

1. If the rate of reoffending is that low

then it seems like it works.

Wow, treat people as people and they turn their lives around.

[mn9driver]

2. The U.S. 5 year recidivism rate is 76.6 percent

Prisons like Bastoy save a lot of money for taxpayers in the long run.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/22/america-s-recidivism-nightmare.html

[treestar]

3. Interesting

The mindset is usually that if it's not unpleasant, they won't learn their lesson.

They can't leave there, though. Could get boring. But it's interesting about the recidivism in that, maybe that lack of freedom to come and go is enough punishment.

[Oneironaut]

4. The US has a punishment mentality. Prison is vengeance.

State-opposed vengeance. We aren't interested in rehabilitating - just making people pay for their crimes. Very stupid in the long run economically and socially.

Good luck getting change, though. Any politician who wanted to reform the prison system would be treated like they pledged support for the Taliban.

[lostnfound]

5. Amazing article, thank you. Nt

[RoccoR5955]

6. Not only Norway...

But in the Netherlands, in 2013, they were planning on closing 13 of their prisons, due to a decline in crime.
They must be doing something correctly.
http://www.trueactivist.com/netherlands-closing-19-prisons-due-to-lack-of-criminals/