Opinion of Norwegian sentencing laws

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_Norway

[Meursault]

HA HA! STUPID EURO TRASH! BREIVIK SHOOT BANG, GO FREE!

... And, consequentially, far superior to the literally valueless American penal system.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

HA HA! STUPID EURO TRASH! BREIVIK SHOOT BANG, GO FREE!

... And, consequentially, far superior to the literally valueless American penal system.

People like Breivik are why I'm on the fence.  I think that some people need to be locked up permanently for the sake of public safety when they demonstrate absolutely no ability to reform, but the US uses life imprisonment far too liberally.

Still, the Norwegian system doesn't completely rule out the possibility of life imprisonment, so for that reason I voted 'positive.'

[politicus]

Its pretty good. The best version of the Scandinavian sentencing model with parole after 2/3 and far more rational than ours, where life imprisonment de facto means 16 years, but since its "life" some prisoners gets to serve a lot more for not always legit reasons. Norway used to have 14 years as their de facto penalty for most lifers, before they rationalized the system to 21 years and standard parole after 2/3. I would like our life sentence to be converted to 24 years, with life without parole as an extra opportunity for the worst offenders.

Preventive detention being after a minimum sentence and being revalued after 5 years is rational. But 5 years may be too long an interval. The Danish system is if you are convicted to preventive detention you can be set free as soon as you are no longer deemed dangerous, with no minimum penalty (though most serve long sentences). Reevaluation is done yearly. That leaves a lot of power to the shrinks and I prefer more judicial influence.

Tl;dr: Its good, but I would prefer life without parole as an additional option.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Massive freedom laws.

The Breivik case is a shining example of how a decent judiciary system should work.

[TDAS04]

Positive, because it's extremely sensible compared to the American system.  Even if Norway is a little too soft, it's far, far more sane than a penal system allowing life imprisonment for 15-year-olds.

[politicus]

Massive freedom laws.

The Breivik case is a shining example of how a decent judiciary system should work.

Throwing out the first mental assessment because they didn't like the result was not exactly exemplary.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Horrible, but our own penal system is a trainwreck so I will withold my judgement.

[H. Ross Peron]

Horrible, but our own penal system is a trainwreck so I will withold my judgement.

[Lurker]

Massive freedom laws.

The Breivik case is a shining example of how a decent judiciary system should work.

Throwing out the first mental assessment because they didn't like the result was not exactly exemplary.

Indeed, but that did serve to illustrate a general problem regarding the influence of psychiatrists in criminal trials (which was discussed for a couple of weeks before being quickly forgotten).

[Franzl]

Positive, because it's extremely sensible compared to the American system.  Even if Norway is a little too soft, it's far, far more sane than a penal system allowing life imprisonment for 15-year-olds.

This.

In extreme cases like Breivik, I can understand the feeling that it's too lenient, and for such cases I think a sentence without parole would be appropriate. But by and large, it's a lot more sensible than most systems, and goes to show you how things can work when being "tough on crime" for television advertising isn't necessary.

[dead0man]

The most important thing prisons do is keep the violent away from the rest of us.  Punishment, rehabilitation, whatever, are much less important.  I don't care much how a prison system gets those secondary things done, if they are keeping the repeatedly violent locked up then it's fine by me.

[Hifly]

I somewhat approve.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

As I said before:

I can't believe a mass murderer like this guy even has access to video games, let alone the fact that he is only serving a 21-year sentence. He deserves solitary confinement and to never see the light of day so long as he lives. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Norway's justice system makes the American justice system look a lot better. As much as I oppose capital punishment, I'd support it over what the Norwegian justice system handed down.

You're so incorrect. Under Norway's law, the sentence can be extended after 21 years if Breivik is deemed too dangerous to rejoin society and he certainly will be deemed as such. This is effectively a life term.

And I like this system. No "life without the possibility of parole/200 years" stuff like in the U.S. (sometimes for really BS stuff, like under the three strikes law), which only overcrowds prisons without solving anything. That's why they have a decent rehabilitation rate, and that's what the penal system should be about.

Of course there are people who will never be rehabilitated, so in Norway they simply stay in prison. But it's not arbitrary nonsense just for show how "tough on crime you are".

Beside, Norway succeeded in turning Breivik from a potential martyr for nutjobs all over Europe into a pathetic joke. That's important.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The most important thing prisons do is keep the violent away from the rest of us.  Punishment, rehabilitation, whatever, are much less important.  I don't care much how a prison system gets those secondary things done, if they are keeping the repeatedly violent locked up then it's fine by me.

"The violent" do not exist as an intrinsic category (or if they do, they account for an infinitesimal fraction of inmates).

[dead0man]

If you get caught AND convicted of a violent crime repeatedly, you clearly shouldn't be with the rest of society.

[7,052,770]

I had thought that 21 years was the maximum sentence, but now that I realize that can be extended for 5 years as many times as necessary, I say it's a good, logical system.

[GaussLaw]

What works for a small, rich Nordic country does not necessarily work for a large, heterogeneous one.  Nontheless I applaud the fact that juveniles do not get LWOPed.

[angus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_imprisonment_in_Norway

Not a fan.  

I have always preferred the Navajo system.  If someone is sick, then we should try to cure the sickness.  Europeans (and their satellite cultures such as the U.S.) don't really do that.  We lock 'em up because we don't really know what else to do with them.  At least Norway doesn't off them, which is better than I can say about the U.S.  Overall, I don't agree with the European (American, Australian, etc.) philosophy in this regard in general.

HP.