Softer prison reduces recidivism?

The prevailing attitude about punishment in the United States has always been saturated with a heavy dose of retribution. We want the criminal to learn from his mistake and the only way to learn that something is wrong is to have a negative consequence. However this attitude presumes that when dealing with criminals, one is dealing with a rational individual. That is rarely the case.

No matter the crime or perpetrator, for the most part there is little rational thought occurring within the brain of the criminal. Most were never taught the value of consequences in the first place. So as adults, consequences mean little. Treating someone who already doesn't give a shit like an animal, putting them in prison, merely results in someone who doesn't give a shit, who is now really pissed off and who has been educated by other criminals for years.

I've long thought that prisons should be a place of rehabilitation. The only way to teach an irresponsible person responsibility is to make them be responsible for themselves. Most people who end up in prison have no idea how to have a normal life. Prison is a perfect opportunity to have a captive audience (pun intended) and teach them how to live as a contributing member of society. Since most prisoners in the United States will get out of prison one day, this type of system is a benefit to all of us through reduced recidivism of inmates.

Below is an extreme example of this type of program operating in Norway. Europeans in general are pretty lax about punishment compared to the United States. I am not sure that this type of prison works everywhere and certainly will not work for every inmate. But perhaps some of the underlying ideas behind this will migrate over to the United States. We could use some sanity in our prison systems.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1384308/Norways-controversial-cushy-prison-experiment--catch-UK.html?ito=feeds-newsxml