*ban
TimberIN MB Baltic SPA & Saunas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkP8jq3rccs

Versengold - Ihr seid Musik (German Folk) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Frühlingsgruß (German Folk) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Die Namen von Millionen has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Hoch die Krüge has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Spaß bei Saite (Live) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Frühlingsgruß (German Folk) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Die Namen von Millionen has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Hoch die Krüge has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Spaß bei Saite (Live) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Die Namen von Millionen has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Hoch die Krüge has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Spaß bei Saite (Live) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Spaß bei Saite (Live) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Hoch die Krüge has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Versengold - Spaß bei Saite (Live) has been added as a related post - related requested by Lilithia.

Snowboarding the Spa-Francorchamps circuit with a Nissan GTR has been added as a related post - related requested by ChaosEngine on that post.

*ban
buysilkbalance
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3qcwik_silk-balance-spa-treatments_news

That's me at the spa.

Quite the spa day

Saying you must choose between getting shivved/raped and being isolated is a false dichotomy.

Obviously, the US prison system is awful (doubly so since it seems almost designed to discourage rehabilitation). That doesn't mean that the Japanese system is good, only less bad.

On a personal level, I completely understand the desire to punish criminals for their crimes. If someone wronged me, I would want them to suffer for it.

But as a society, we need to move past that. Maybe prison SHOULD be a health spa. If it resulted in lower recidivism, wouldn't that be worth it? And I don't think it would encourage crime. Even the nicest cage is still a cage.

But at a very basic level, exercise and social interaction are necessary for humans to function normally. Do you have any idea what enforced solitude and inactivity do to people? How can you be expected to be a productive member of society after years of that?

"Life in prison here is draconian."

Because they can't talk to other inmates, read books, watch TV, use exercise equipment, etc. all the time?

I think I'd take those "draconian" conditions over the ever-present threat of ass rape, getting shivved, etc. (to be fair, I'm operating under the assumption that those threats aren't as ubiquitous in the Japanese prison system, which may not be the case.) It is a prison, not a health spa; I think it is reasonable to expect some losses and limitations on privileges.

But in any case. the US system of getting pushed into a life of crime because there are extremely few other options for an ex-con (who probably ended up there due to a trivial drug charge) seems rather more "draconian" to me.

There is a bunch of controversy up here in Alaska right now because it's now legal to bait grizzly bears to stations and then shoot them. It might be fun to set up bait stations with pools instead, like a bear spa kind of idea.

How many violent criminals are in Norway's prisons? According to TYT, the U.S. has almost 10 times as many homicides as Norway, so I think it's safe to assume that U.S. prisons hold a much higher percentage of violent criminals. Coincidentally, violent criminals are far more likely to be repeat offenders.

Poverty is another factor to consider. Poverty and crime are directly correlated. Many people commit crimes out of desperation. After being released from prison, their situation doesn't change. Regardless of your skills, finding a job as an ex-convict isn't easy (hell, finding a job as regular citizen isn't easy these days) and the likelihood of getting one that actually pays more than minimum wage is pretty low. If "freedom" means living in a shithole apartment and barely surviving by doing tedious, demeaning and low-paying work (or even taking multiple jobs), is incarceration really any worse? You'll still be doing tedious work but you won't have to worry about paying for rent, water, electricity, food, gas, healthcare, insurance, etc.

So, what would happen if we made American prisons as nice and cushy as the ones in Norway? Would crime actually decrease? Or would criminals simply see prison as a mild slap on the wrist? Or even a step up from their current situations? If our current prisons aren't scary enough to deter people from breaking the law, would a spa-like prison be any more effective? Hell, there are already recorded cases of people intentionally getting arrested in the U.S. so they can go to prison and not have to worry about living on the street. If our prisons were as nice as Norway's, these cases would only become more common.

People like to focus exclusively on recidivism rates but those aren't the only statistics that matter. And if you really only care about recidivism, you should be all for the dealth penalty. After all, death row prisoners have a 0% recidivism rate.