Despite accounting for a small population of the world, the US has the highest number of prisoners globally. This difference results from the harsh laws and ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system. Some states, such as Texas, contribute to the high number of prisoners by implementing a wide range of rules and regulations that promote incarceration. Compared to Norway, Texas has harsher sentencing laws, inhumane prison conditions, and punishes more than it should rehabilitate.
First, Texas has harsher sentencing laws that dictate longer prison sentences for minor crimes than Norway. Texas uses the three-strike law, which increases an individual’s minimum sentence if they have a history of felony convictions. Under this law, a person with two or more previous offenses qualifies for an automatic minimum 25-year sentence (Hannaford). This law does not consider the nature of the offenses committed by a defendant. As a result, individuals end up serving life in prison for petty crimes such as stealing a sandwich. Norway, on the other hand, has friendlier sentencing laws for convicts. For example, the maximum sentence in Norway is 30 years and only applies to serious crimes such as some war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. These differences in the sentencing laws lead to Texas having high prison populations, whereas Norway’s prisons are less populated.
Second, Texas prisons are more inhuman than Norway’s, which are kindlier. Apart from the strict sentencing laws, Texas has the worst prisons in the US. Despite other states utilizing solitary confinement, numerous elements make Texans stand out from the rest. Notably, whereas prisoners are often held in solitary confinement due to their capital convictions, Texas does not base this practice on crime, security, or discipline (Human Rights Clinic 19). As a result, the number of prisoners under solitary confinement is higher than in other states. Additionally, prisoners in solitary confinement are less likely to access mental health services and contact visits with attorneys and their families, especially those on death row. These conditions differ significantly from Norway’s, which forbids degrading or inhuman treatment of prisoners. Norwegian prisoners enjoy better conditions, with some of them enjoying luxurious prison rooms with a wide range of services such as grocery shops (Luxs Report). These differences make Norwegian prisons superior to Texas in terms of prisoners’ living conditions.
Third, the Texan criminal justice system focuses more on punishment, whereas Norway prioritizes rehabilitation. Punishing prisoners entails housing them in the worst possible conditions with minimal efforts to add value to their wellbeing. On the other hand, rehabilitation values changing the behaviors of prisoners to enable them to meet the demands of the outside world. The differences between these two approaches manifest in the recidivism rates of prisoners. According to Hannaford, most ex-inmates in Texas do not survive for long before committing other crimes and ending up in the prison system again. The wellbeing of Texan prisoners deteriorates as they spend more years in prisons, making them unfit for release. However, the Luxs Report shows that Norwegian prisons focus on changing behaviors, including instilling new skills through education. As a result, while Norwegian prisoners leave as better individuals, some Texan inmates end up worse than when they were imprisoned.
In conclusion, Texas prisoners experience tougher sentences, harsher prison conditions and are less likely to rehabilitate than Norwegians are. From the differences between Texas and Norway in approaching matters of the criminal justice system, there is more to change in Texas to become more effective. Texan sentencing laws, prison conditions, and correction approach do more harm than good to its people. Texas and the US should therefore learn from other countries with low prison populations to improve the wellbeing of the entire population.
Works Cited
Hannaford, Alex. “Serving Life for Stealing a Sandwich.” The Texas Observer, 2020, Web.
Human Rights Clinic. “Designed to Break You: Human Rights Violations On Texas’ Death Row.” 2017.
Luxs Report. “Luxury Prison in Norway – Serving Time with Amenities.” YouTube, 2014.