So some good news about America

[Jk23]

I was listening to a podcast from The Economist regarding the British prison crisis and they're pointing out that there were plenty of other European countries also suffering from horrible overcrowding and horrible prison conditions such as France Etc.

They then went on to talk about two countries that do prisons correctly and they started with the Netherlands which surprises no one and then they said that America has done very well over the last 10 years and is showing the way to Europe on how to run their penal system.

The introduction of drug courts and the reduction of overcrowding in prisons Etc so and so forth.

Now America is much richer than say England or France so they have more money to spend on things but either way it is nice to hear that we're doing something better and leading the way in the Civilized world.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. lol what on earth

[Freddie]

2. Plus, the Electoral College strikes again

By the time all votes are counted in California she will probably win the popular vote. Not that it ever mattered.

[Ocelot II]

4. What does that have to do with prisons?

[Ocelot II]

3. Seriously?

Ask the inmates in any prison in Texas about that. Apart from a few minimum-security federal prisons where they send the white-collar convicts who did something like insider trading, our prisons are squalid hellholes where inmates can't even get medical care.

[Elessar Zappa]

8. UK prisons and French prisons are pretty bad too.

Scandinavian countries have the best prisons, imo.

[Ocelot II]

12. But it's a stretch to say American prisons are better.

Most are pretty terrible. We certainly don't have any like this one, which is luxurious by our standards but has the lowest recidivism rate in Europe: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/25/norwegian-prison-inmates-treated-like-people

[Yavin4]

5. Soon our prison population will be used to replace migrant workers. n/t

[XanaDUer2]

6. Really?

American prisons are hellholes

[Jk23]

10. I think they're comparing it to European prisons

What the article is simply saying is is that the United States is certainly ahead of Europe when it comes to Modern prisons and modern sentencing guidelines.

[Ocelot II]

13. Not this European prison:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/25/norwegian-prison-inmates-treated-like-people

[Jk23]

14. No they're not comparing it to the prisons in small oil rich countries

They're comparing it to prisons in France and England.

I agree Norway is a great place to go to prison Sweden on the other hand I understand it's taking more than the little step back since their crime got insane.

[live love laugh]

7. Did you forget the sarcasm thingy? This is absurd.

[Jk23]

17. I mean prisons in France and England have been notorious for hundreds of years

So it's probably not anything new what they're really referring to is a lot of the reforms and places like California and Texas which have created a safer penal system for inmates and cost savings for taxpayers.

[live love laugh]

20. Bullshit.

[Scrivener7]

9. I think you're trying too hard.

[Jk23]

11. You're welcome to listen to it yourself

It's the Friday intelligencer or Economist podcast on Spotify. Second piece after the first piece on Trump's Middle East policy.

I'm sorry that reporting from Europe doesn't fit your worldview.

[Scrivener7]

15. That's nice.

[XanaDUer2]

16. Retirement plan

Crime in norway

[leftstreet]

18. LOL

[XanaDUer2]

19. I cannot believe it

I mean, Good if its true, but AMERICA?!

[KT2000]

21. From a prison guard

This interview with a prison guard gives a picture of life inside the prisons he has worked at in California. Still thinking about it a week later. Not a success for the guards or the prisoners.

From Soft White Underbelly interviews: