Life at an open Prison. On the Norwegian prison island of Bastoy inmates can take a swim or go for a walk out of sight of the guards. Norwegians take a liberal view of the penal system.(Recidivist/Reoffend rate is the percentage of released prisoners that, one way or the other, get tossed back into prison)
No walls, no barbed wire and no guards. The prison island of Bastoy in the fjord of Olso is more like a holiday camp than a prison.
A prison where murderers and rapists roam free on the island, with no walls or bars. Their recidivist rate? 10%
When the weather is nice the inmates go for a walk by the sea or swim in it. They live in the same building but each one of them can decorate his room as he wishes. The director places his emphasis on trust and humanity. The prisoners are required to take responsibility. Norwegians are proud of their liberal prison system. And the statistics seem to back up the approach. Only 10 percent of inmates go on to reoffend.
What's the recidivist rate for American prisons? It ranges from 70% in California, to about 50% for the rest of the nation.
As prison populations expand, costs to states are on the rise. Last year alone, states spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before. However, the national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years. And while violent criminals and other serious offenders account for some of the growth, many inmates are low-level offenders or people who have violated the terms of their probation or parole.Guess which nation has the largest number of prisoners?
As a result, states’ corrections costs have risen substantially. Twenty years ago, the states collectively spent $10.6 billion of their general funds—their primary discretionary dollars—on corrections. Last year, they spent more than $44 billion in general funds, a 315 percent jump, and more than $49 billion in total funds from all sources. Coupled with tightening state budgets, the greater prison expenditures may force states to make tough choices about where to spend their money. For example, Pew found that over the same 20-year period, inflation-adjusted general fund spending on corrections rose 127 percent while higher education expenditures rose just 21 percent.
"The "Land of the Free."
"The United States has 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the world's incarcerated population. We rank first in the world in locking up our fellow citizens," said Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports alternatives in the war on drugs.Except the lying, thieving, mass murdering fucks behind 9/11, like Bush, Cheney, Rumslfeld, Wolfowitz, etc. They retire to a live of luxury, living like Kings on some of that loot they helped steal for their 'Wars for Wall Street and Israel' crowd.
"We now imprison more people for drug law violations than all of western Europe, with a much larger population, incarcerates for all offences."
"We send more people to prison, for more different offences, for longer periods of time than anybody else," he said.
Just don't get caught growing a beneficial and helpful herb that has been and continues to be used for curing various medical problems, because the USSA will toss your sorry ass in prison.
I read somewhere that half of all drug arrests are for marijuana. Will CA with prop 19 try to put an end to this insanity or will the electronic voting machines make sure the 'war' continues?
ReplyDeleteIndeed Greg. It’s all part of the conveyor belt ‘legal’ system (it’s absolutely not about justice) that has been put in place to make corporations vast profits while at the same time the machinery of state oppression is now complete.
ReplyDeleteAfter all Big Brother loves you and wants you to be safe – or else.
I agree and found out again about that mythical thing called the Bill of Rights.
ReplyDeleteI'm replacing my fireplace insert with a woodstove and was working on my masonry mixer, since it had been running a bit rough.
Found a cracked fuel line that needed replacing, so me and my dog, Charlie Brown drove into town to get the parts and I'll be goddamn if the State Highway Patrol wasn't on the highway, about 3 miles West of town, stopping everyone.
When it was my turn to be harassed, the trooper asks me how I'm doing. I told him I don't know, what's this all about.
He replied they were checking people's license and insurance info, so I need to see yours.
I told him you gotta be kidding, stopping people on this narrow highway, creating a safety problem to just check for that?
He laughed and said that's what we do.
Charlie Brown, who's a real people person dog and loves company, started barking at the cop as soon as he appeared at the window. Had to tell him twice to be quiet.
Damned dog's got more brains and common sense than most people in this police state.
I found it Interesting that all the other sheep just went along with it Greg. That’s how it starts – with the checkpoints – been there, done that. What happened to probable cause? Over here in CCTV land it’s getting so that any idiot in a uniform (any uniform) feels they can stop and harass people. I love those chumps.
ReplyDeleteIt’s also good to see another who does the hard work himself.
Hey GB,...Here in Oz, we have a the cops crusading against bikers under new anti-association legislation; Bikers aside, the legislation is not specific to 'organised criminal acivity of Bikie gangs' it suggests that any associations 'deemed' a threat to national security, yada, yada, will be 'forced' to cease with their criminal association. I guess those rotary members should keep their noses clean, not to mention the Returned Services League.
ReplyDeleteI guess we won't be having any tea parties in Oz soon.
Of course no drug gangs that inhabit the night clubs or pubs are being targeted, nor are they mentioned.
Bike gangs represent about .3% of all criminal activity in Rothschalia, go figure.
Most crimes today, here at least, are committed by drug-fucked or drunken youths - all of them consumed by the amerikan pop culture of nightclub pseudo-gangsterism or junkie anti-hero grunge.
They won't need to oppress the youth of today, they are for the most part; media-brainwashed cynical clueless rutting drug-fucked sheeple.
There, I said it...(grin)
veritas