I found this story interesting - as a Norwegian living abroad, in a country where the tabloids are demanding a re-introduction of the death sentence:

The system isn't perfect. I would think that criminals who commit a robbery such as this one should forfeit their freedom because they came in expecting to and did commit deadly violence against a police officer.

But, it does lead one to question the philosophy we have in place in the USA. Our prisons are trade school where prisoners learn to hone their skills. They are surrounded by brutal sadistic corrupted guards in some cases, and they leave prison less adapted to function in society than when they came in.

As offensive as these prison sentences may be to some in this case, Norway with a population of 5,000,000 people, has 3,100 people in prison.The crime rate is incredibly low, recidivism also is much reduced.

In the United States, our criminal justice system might think about being "soft" on prisoners. That doesn't mean letting them lie around all day, it means actively engaging them with trained professionals, giving them job skills, social skills, and a smoother transition period back into civilian life.

[From New Pairodimes: Tough On Crime Norwegian Style]

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