Norway Prisoners Living It Up

Prisoners in Norway will be living the high life if they make it to Halden prison. In the far east of Norway, the newly constructed prison has more luxuries than those of us who obey the law and work for a living can afford. Read more after the jump.

Halden prison is more grand than any retirement home I have seen. This prison, a place where criminals are supposed to be punished, sports mini fridges and flat screen televisions in every cell, a professional recording studio, a living area with kitchen for every 10-12 cells to share, and even $1 million in art painted on the walls.

Come on people! How is that punishment? If anything, the crime rate will probably go up so they can live the high life. The warden says it is supposed to help rehabilitate and not punish. Are you listening to the words coming out of your mouth? Not punish? That is what prison is for. There are programs in prison to help rehabilitate the prisoners, but it is still there to punish. If you put them in an environment that's more like heaven than hell, when they get released, what makes you think they won't want to return. A football field, training room, gym, and living quarters that rival most of our ivy league college dorms sounds pretty good to me.

Here is the worst part. Anders Breivik, for those who do not know him, is a right-wing terrorist who on July 22, 2011 murdered 68 adolescents at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoya island. He is also responsible for a bombing that killed 8 people. This monster, it seems, is going to be one of the 252 inmates at this plush retreat. What are you thinking? Maybe if he records an album to release his emotions, he might possibly become a model citizen. Pull your head out of your ass and think about it.

And to top it all off, half of the guards at this maximum security prison, will give the inmates two different types of views. First the grounds look like a park, having stone benches, chess tables, and trees that somewhat hide the 20 foot security wall surrounding the prison. Second, half of the guards working at the prison are women. They say it is supposed to lower the violence seen in other prisons. So let's break this down. What if some of the convicts are serial rapists or have mommy issues and despise women? Now let's place them in a facility where half of the authority figures are women, I am pretty sure there is going to be some violence. Or let's say that two or more inmates have feelings for one of these guards, there can be only one alpha male. How will the situation be dealt with?

I can understand wanting to rehabilitate the inmates, but you have to make them want to stay out. This place is giving them things they might not have out in the real world.  It is possible they might commit an even worse crime so they can stay even longer. But that is their right, so we can do nothing but wait and see how it turns out. I hope it doesn't backfire on them, but if it does, remember that I told you so.