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Old 02-10-2010, 08:34 PM
  # 48 (permalink)  
Live
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Bristol TN/VA
Posts: 12,431
what I found in a quick look around. By far most of the people imprisoned in Sweden are for theft. This is not necessarily personal violence but it is a sort of violence.

In the 90's the Dutch built more prisons, in 2009 they didn't have enough criminals and were contracting to house criminals from neighboring countries. The Dutch believe that each inmate should have his/her own cell in order to reflect and rehabilitate. They also provide housing and assistance upon release to help the criminal successfully rejoin society.
Their drug use and addiction rates are FAR less than any other of the "industrialized" nations.

If I understand correctly both of these countries contractually serve drug problems as health and societal concerns and not as criminal concerns. The Dutch do distinguish between harm reduction, soft drugs vs drugs with more serious repercussions.

Both these countries consider the loss of liberty as the punishment so do not mete out further punishment within the prison system.

The Dutch consider drug use as unsolvable so have concentrated on harm reduction policies...I think this if far more pragmatic and realistic.
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