By Sarah Connelly In Texas, a woman named Sharanda Jones is sitting in prison, serving a life sentence without parole for a first-time, nonviolent cocaine offense. She will die in jail. In Norway, another man, Anders Breivik, sits in prison. He murdered 77 people in an act of right-wing terrorism, and he has the potential to get out in ten years. He could walk free by 2022. It would be simple to assume that making a habit of locking away small-time criminals and drug offenders for life would keep petty crime off the streets, and that a lax system which allows neo-Nazi mass murderers to walk free so quickly would leave a country in shambles, destroyed by criminals who have no reason to fear capture. And yet these things are never quite that simple. As it would turn out, Norway has one of the most successful criminal justice systems in the world. Countries like Sweden and Finland, who use similar methods of corrections, are doing just as well. The United States correctional system, on the other hand, is a huge failure. |
Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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