Comparison of US Prisons to European Prisons
Life in a US prison is what it would seem. Lack of space and privacy. Confinement and loss of all freedoms. Long sentences for minor crimes and little access to visit loved ones. However, these inhumane conditions and policies are not true of all countries. European countries for example take an alternative approach to their criminal justice system. European prisons differ from the United States in many ways, and just from visiting a prison in Europe versus the US, the stark contrast is visible. Halden prison in Norway, for example, is known for being the “most humane prison in the world.” The prison is open, well-lit, colorful, and bright. Cells in European prisons resemble dorm rooms, with a kitchen and bathroom surrounded by walls.
The US’ focus is a more punitive and segregated approach while German and Dutch prison systems ultimate goal is rehabilitation and a smooth integration into society upon release. In America, the average length of a prison sentence is 3 years while in countries including the Netherlands and Germany, inmates typically spend less than a year imprisoned.
Prisoners in the Netherlands and Germany also have a lot more control over their own lives, being able to wear their own clothes, cook on their own, work and take classes, which helps them survive upon release. Prisons are paid a wage for their work in which they save to have financial security upon release. However, American inmates follow a daily routine, wear uniforms, eat prepared foods, and have to wake up and sleep at the same time. In European prisons, prisoners and the wardens develop healthy and kind relationships based on trust. On the other hand, prisoners in America are degraded and abused, and seen as less and someone to mistreat. In Germany and the Netherlands, prisons still have basic rights as a citizen including the right to vote and welfare benefits. Additionally, they get the opportunity to spend time out of prison visiting their families. In the US, one can only see their family in the prison visiting room under many restrictions, and prisoners lose their right to vote during incarceration and at times post imprisonment as well.
European criminal justice systems also work to defend those most vulnerable. Offenders ages 18 to 21 are protected under juvenile courts. Youth imprisonment is of last resort and at most will be a maximum of ten years for serious offenses. In contrast, in the United States, thousands of people are serving life sentences for crimes they committed as a kid and kids as young as 16 are prosecuted as adults. Locking up children while they are still developing and not properly attending to their needs and rehabilitation destroys their lives and eliminates the possibility of them becoming productive citizens. In Germany, mentally ill offenders are not sentenced to prison and acknowledging how lengthy periods of isolation can have detrimental effects on an individual’s mental and physical health, European prisons rarely use solitary confinement and if it is greatly needed, then it is only for a few hours. In the United States, solitary confinement remains legal and common, and prisoners can be segregated for multiple weeks.
Europe’s restorative and rehabilitative approach to the justice system and prison is proven to reduce incarceration and recidivism. Being treated with respect as well as the right to basic human rights is deserved by every human no matter their previous actions and choices.