Are Swedes Doing Something Right? – And We’re Not? [OPINION]

For as long as I can remember, I have been a strong advocate of 'doing the time for doing the crime'.  If someone commits a crime, I've always felt they should be tried and if found guilty, they should serve the maximum sentence.

When it comes to murder, rape or crimes against children I've been very vocal about maximum punishment and continue to this day to believe those crimes must be punished with extreme prejudice... if you get my drift.  Death by some means that may or may not include human punishment.

Louisiana has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the nation and the world, so I wonder if we're doing something wrong.  Sweden has seen such a sharp drop in incarceration that they've recently closed four prisons. Nils Öberg, the head of Sweden's prison and probation services said he didn't know exactly was behind the drop but he hoped it was due to Sweden's liberal prison approach with it's strong emphasis on rehabilitating prisoners.

I understand that prisoners housed in the State Penitentiary at Angola have opportunities to work on GED's, college degrees or learn a trade but most of them will not see the light of day for 20 years or never!  What a waste of tax money!  We're paying to entertain people who will never contribute to society.

Further, I understand that prisoners that are serving sentences in parish jails do not have the same educational opportunities as prisoners at Angola.  What's wrong with this picture?  Why are we paying tax dollars to educate or entertain criminals at
Angola that will never help society while paying tax dollars to lock up non-violent criminals that will one day be set free?  Seems like it would pay to reverse the procedures; educate and rehabilitate those in parish jails while locking up and throwing away the key for those that are violent and useless.

Maybe if we reversed our incarceration/rehabilitation procedures we could eventually do as the Swedes and begin shutting down some prisons.