You do the crime..You do the time

“If you do the crime, you do the time, but before you go...”

There might be a short delay.

Incarceration in a US prison or jail is one of the main forms of punishment and rehabilitation of felony crimes and other offenses. The population in US prisons is reported to be the largest in the world and is becoming a growing concern.

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Both, The US and Norway are considering solutions. Their crime rates are increasing and more people are being brought in to the legal systems.Since 2012, the German travel guide ‘Dumont’ now describes the city of Olso, Norway as being unsafe for female tourists. The guide also named Oslo “The Crime capital of Scandinavia”.A large proportion of the crime that is carried out in Norway is committed by criminals from overseas, with 34 percent of the prison population being foreigners. Gangs of thieves target the nation due to the perception that its prisons are relatively comfortable compared to those of other countries. Studies also indicate that this is one of the reasons that criminals from other parts of the world commit crime in Norway.There is no capital punishment and no life in prison.

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Those punishments don’t exist in Norway. For some dangerous prisoners, judges can extend sentences by five-year increments. This is

a country where few killers serve more than 14 years. Norway has much lower rates of violent crime, incarceration and recidivism, or repeaters, than America . The Norwegian goal is rehabilitation, not punishment.

But lately, the increasing rate of “offenders” has created a

Norwegian problem. Norway seems to be a much more benevolent society than the US. There isn’t as much social inequality as in the United States, where there’s a large gap between the rich and the poor.While our US prisoners are there to be punished, in Norway, the standard belief is that people can change and steps are taken to hep the inmate to reenter and be successful in normal society. Many offenders are housed in open housing with minimal guarding or even settling with a fine. When rehabilitation is completed, few returned as repeat-offenders. However, times are changing.

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Convicts in Norway often have to wait for detention capacity to become available, and there are currently 1,300 people queuing up to

serve their sentences. The government is working on a  plan describing the national detention capacity, and the conditions of prison facilities and funds for building new facilities are being sought. The problem: Where to put the new offenders while the new prisons are being built.

Neighboring Sweden doesn’t want them.

Sweden boasts one of the world's lowest incarceration rates - ten times lower than the US. Why do Swedish judges opt to keep convicts out of jail or issue lenient sentences, which one inmate called "a chance to start over"? Swedish judges opt for electronic tagging and other sentences that keep inmate

numbers down, Sweden is closing their prisons. Anyone sentenced to less than six months in jail has the right, since 2005, to request an electronic bracelet rather than incarceration and many judges have embraced the policy.The country's prison population fell by nearly 1,000 inmates over the last decade to about 4,300, reveal figures from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården). Swedish courts are also more likely to grant parole after two-thirds of a sentence has been served. Another factor may be large state investments in rehabilitation and recidivism prevention programs.

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So, where do we take these offenders who are anxious to serve their “time” and get back into society?

Norway has 1300 convicts waiting for prison places and as ‘luck would have it’, some people in The Netherlands are going to lose their jobs because eight Netherland prisons have been scheduled for closing due to to ‘lack of criminals’! How can this be?

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The Netherlands is a very safe country in which to live and many people never experience crime of any sort. The rate of violent crime is
low, although tourists are often targeted by thieves. Theft is especially common on trains to

and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where hand luggage and laptop computers are often targeted.Penalties for rule infractions fall into three categories 1..Custodial sentence, or jail time, 2..Fines and 3..Community service which is often imposed for minor offenses. This is unpaid work and can include removing graffiti or cleaning public areas while a large number of crimes in the Netherlands are dealt with on the basis of fixed penalty rates. These include those related to traffic offenses and noise pollution.

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The Netherlands is one of the safest countries in Europe with a very low incidence of crime,Declining crime rates in the Netherlands mean that although the country has the capacity for 14,000 prisoners, there are only 12,000 detainees according to recent reports.“The decrease is expected to continue” states the Dutch Deputy Justice minister Nebahat Albayrak saying “natural redundancy and other measures should counter any forced lay-offs”.

Norway finds a solution in The Netherlands.

Netherland officials have extended a plan to rent vacate cell-space to Norway. Norway’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen has agreed, saying “To achieve a much-needed expansion of prison capacity in the short term, we’ve started talks with Dutch authorities on renting prison capacity in the Netherlands.” Norwegian rules would have to apply, and a Norwegian governor would preside over the prisoners. This should be of little concern to the newly installed prisoners as Norwegian practices of incarceration are rather mild.

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Norway has plans for building additional prison facilities much like that found on Bastoy Island in Norway. Bastoy is a minimum security site designed to establish respect and human decency enjoyed in Norwegian society.

Private phonebooths for the use of prisioners

Norway’s prisons are designed to rehabilitate There are no cells, bars,
guns, truncheons or CCTV cameras here. Norway is planning on building more prisons utilizing the belief of rehabilitation training over that of punishment. One inmate, when interviewed was asked if he ever thought of escape answered “ This is the first time I serve a sentence and I hope it’ll be the last.” There are three golden rules: No, drugs, no violence and no alcohol. Any inmate attempting to escape would be transferred to a secure prison with far less privileges.

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The waiting list may soon be reduced, thanks to the agreement with Norway regarding the leasing of vacant Dutch prison space while Norway builds.

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The social structure of Norway and other Scandinavian countries is based on equality of all people. Since World War Two, Norway has broadened and heavily subsidized public benefits in the forms of free education, benefits for sickness and disability, and unemployment, based on making benefits available to all. There is no  economic differences such as  "rich or poor."

Recent numbers released by the US Census Bureau show that the gaps between US rich and US poor is widening. In the latest report, the US has the fourth most ‘uneven’ income distribution in the developed world.

Prisoner serving his time in Norway.

 Perhaps we have something to learn from our Scandinavian friends.

 
 

Closed For The Holiday

Monday was "Labor Day".A day designated to honor those members of the "Working Class" who have labored to provide us with the comforts and cultural system we take for granted as well as enjoy.
Labor Day, the first Monday in September,  a creation of the labor movement ,is  dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

  Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners was first to suggest a day to honor common laborers. Others believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter,  proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. At any rate, Congress declared the first Monday in September to be a federal holiday.  Federal offices are closed, but the common man remains on the job. Labor Day is a day of high labor intensity while shoppers take advantage of sales as school-age children purchase clothes and  "Gotta-haves" for school. Adults are found in the grocery area buying food and refreshments for the last summer grill-out. It's a big business day.

This holiday is a pivotal calendar day, being both an opener and a closer. This day marks the unofficial end of summer and the last day for camping. But, while the campers are enjoying their last family outings, others are loading dad's SUV with the daily necessities needed  of the recent high school graduate as they gather clothes and electronics for their journey to college. Their goal will be to acquire the knowledge and wisdom to later find a worthy job. In time, they will join the work force and enjoy their own future Labor Day.

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To earn a living, everyone  needs  a job unless they are supported by someone else. In an earlier report, the average  full-time employed American man worked 8.4 hours per work day, and the average woman employed full-time worked 7.7 hours per work day.

 A job pays the needed wages.Because of the pressure of working, time is increasingly viewed as a ommodity.Working time may vary from person to person often depending on location, culture, and lifestyle choice. Someone who is supporting children and paying a large mortgage will need to work more hours to meet a basic cost of living than someone without children of the same earning power.

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 But working hours and situations change around the world.
The work week in Samoa is approximately 30 hours, and while the annual Samoan cash income is low, the Samoans standard of living is quite good.
In most European Union countries, working time is gradually decreasing. The European  time directive has set a 48 hour maximum working week that applies to every member state except the United Kingdom.France has a 35-hour week law..

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However, in China,

Most people in China work much more than 44 hours per week, and when they work on weekends or

on national holidays, they typically do not receive any overtime payment.
The average weekly working hours of full-time employees in Hong Kong is 49 hours.
Perhaps the additional work is necessary to fill the  orders for exported products that we have been enjoying!

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In Europe, a different concept is at work.

Norway has a very high standard of living compared with other European countries, however, it is among the most expensive countries in the world. The oil industry is the primary economic engine.
Norway is  one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world.
                                 With all this, how do they do it?

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Taxes comprise the main income for the public in Norway. Taxes support all public services such as healthcare, education, transport and communications. Taxes are designed to contribute to greater equality between Norwegian individuals while providing for most of their needs.They don't  mind paying high taxes when they receive excellent services.

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Here, in the USA, we  receive benefits of paid vacation time to relieve the stress of our labor, but the company's labor goes on. Vacationtime must be individually scheduled. Someone has to be filling the vacant seat. Business would probably suffer if too many people were taking vacation whenever they wished. High hours create high wages and high wages and low taxes are staples of the American economy.

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Norwegians enjoy 25 days "holiday" per year in the large majority of jobs, not including 8-12 additional public holidays.       And they can take their "holidays" anytime they wish!

 Summer-time shutdowns are normal for Europeans, but Norwegians take this to a new level! July is a popular month to take some time-off. While the weather is warm in July, Norwegians take off for the warm beaches and vacation areas.

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 For three weeks in July, most residents go on vacation at the same time! If Norwegian businesses don't stop completely, cities  probably slow to a crawl. This three weeks of work inactivity is known as fellesferie, or "General Staff Holiday". Most businesses
close, policemen are hard to find, even parliament is dismissed. As millions head for the fjords, islands or the Mediterranean, cities such as Oslo must display familiar signs on their entrances. Parking spots are easy to find in the eerie quiet of fellesferie.

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This custom began when fish industries and metal-smelting factories had so many people on holiday that it made more sense just to shut down. Travelling by air can be difficult. SAS canceled 45 of its 600 European flights, stranding 4,000 passengers, because so many  air-crews were on vacation.

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Even Norway's soccer-league take time off for fellesferie, although this causes the season to stretch into cold November. Work takes a "back seat" to relaxation as Norwegians enjoy the summer weather that is too good to waste when one compares it with what's coming!

We celebrate Labor Day. Norwegians  celebrate fellesferie.