This article explores the evidence that restorative justice improves recidivism rates by examining Norway’s criminal justice system.

When someone commits a crime, it’s natural to want to see them punished for their offense. However, determining punishment and subsequent treatment of offenders are more nuanced processes. Some people consider harsh incarceration a just penalty for serious crimes. But what impact does this have on society? A restorative justice approach to criminal offenders instead aims to rehabilitate criminals and reintroduce them to society after their sentence has been served. But is this truly the right approach to incarceration?

The American justice system is considered deeply corrupt by many Americans, partially because it aims to doll out punishment rather than offer rehabilitation opportunities. The Netflix 2015 documentary series Making A Murderer highlighted some of the shocking realities of the US criminal justice system that can shape an innocent person into a hardened criminal. Another toxic aspect of the American justice system is how criminals are regarded. Rather than receive a fair shot at life after they have served their sentences, countless offenders are expected to cycle through the system for the remainder of their lives. However, the aim of a justice system should be to rehabilitate people so that they can rejoin society- not to destroy them before re-releasing them.

There are countless reasons why the approach of the American justice system not only harms people who are incarcerated but also does nothing to benefit society. To examine a successful justice system, take a look at Norway’s prison system. Norway is often regarded as having the best and most comfortable prison system in the world ever since it was updated in the 1990s to emphasize inclusivity, comfort, and healing. While criminals in seemingly progressive countries such as the United States are all too often regarded as menaces to society, Norway has changed its approach to criminals for the benefit of the country.

By equipping prisoners with the skills needed to be reintroduced into society, Norway is producing beneficial and high-functioning citizens. Rather than continually see people filter through the prison system and return shortly after release, Norway aims to empower its prisoners to be valuable members of society. Not only does this improve individual lives and the overall societal well-being, but it also strengthens Norway’s economy. The approach of Norway’s prison system has drastically reduced the number of people who are incarcerated, as well as the rate of recidivism for offenders.

A Harvard study estimated that a staggering 76.6 percent of incarcerated Americans are re-arrested within five years, while the recidivism rate in Norway is only 20 percent. The Norwegian restorative justice approach to incarceration sees prisoners having their own shower, toilet, flatscreen TV, and fridge even at maximum-security prisons. Meanwhile, courses and programs with a strong emphasis on education are offered to prisoners to help them discover relevant societal skills as well as hobbies. Additionally, life sentences have been banned for prisoners, who are instead served with around 15-year sentences for serious crimes such as murder.

The Norwegian approach to incarceration has enormously benefitted the economy and reduced the rate of unemployment in the country. An education-based approach to prisoners appears to have lasting individual, social, and economic impacts. It also broaches a very important question- what is the goal of a criminal justice system? Are jail sentences meant to serve as painful punishments for crimes, or should they be educational opportunities for growth and advancement? While criminals deserve sentencing for their offenses, punishments such as the death penalty and life sentences erase the opportunity for incarceration to be restorative.

What benefit does locking people up and treating them inhumanely have for either the individuals or society at large? Providing prisoners with the means to better their lives seems like a no-brainer solution. However, achieving such a justice system in a country such as the United States appears challenging to say the least. Many people want to see criminals severely punished, which is why the death penalty currently exists in over half of the 50 states. However, blind fury and revenge are not apt to better society. Furthermore, harsh punishments cannot reverse the crime that occurred. Allowing criminal offenders the opportunity to correct their lives after a fair sentence is the most humane and beneficial approach for a justice system to take. Unfortunately, restorative justice isn’t a concept supported by all people or present in all justice systems.