The US has the largest number of incarcerated people in the world, especially thanks to the increasing privatization of prisons. The prison-industrial system in the US is a multi billion dollar industry. Many states have three strikes laws, which while packaged as a tough on crime approach, puts many offenders of lesser crimes for life behind bars, making them perpetual slaves in a system that punishes inmates for not engaging in work programs.
On the other hand, while there are many staunch critics of Norway’s prison system being too liberal and with hotel like conditions, statistics have showed that recidivism rates in Norway are very low compared to the US due to the fact that the Norwegian system is designed to rehabilitate instead of penalize like in the US, and better opportunities overall are afforded to inmates in Norway.