You are assuming these prisoners should be prisoners in the first place.
In Norway, there are 71 prisoners per 100,000 population. In the US there are 716. This means that if the US had the same incarceration rate as Norway, 90% of the current prison population wouldn't even be there, never mind the need for rehabilitation.
I'm not Norwegian, but I've spent about a year living there and I can tell you that it doesn't feel at all like there are criminals roaming the street. On the contrary, it felt very, very safe over there.
Norway is for the most part full of Norwegians. I've been there and seen that. America is not full of Norwegians. If you failed to notice that in your year there or upon your return to America, I'm not sure what to say to you.
I'm confused too. What do you mean? Surely their are 3 options here. America has worse behaved citizens, the system in the US is trying to imprison people, or a combination of both (most likely imho).
In Norway, there are 71 prisoners per 100,000 population. In the US there are 716. This means that if the US had the same incarceration rate as Norway, 90% of the current prison population wouldn't even be there, never mind the need for rehabilitation.
I'm not Norwegian, but I've spent about a year living there and I can tell you that it doesn't feel at all like there are criminals roaming the street. On the contrary, it felt very, very safe over there.
Here is an interesting article on what prison looks like in Norway: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/091017/norway-open...