don't understand how it makes victims families feel better
The first part of your comment is true enough, vengeance never brought anyone back. However, it's not hard for me to understand how it could make it victims family feel better. If your son or daughter was killed, I could see how knowing that the person that killed them was alive and could still take pleasures in life would be extremely disturbing.
I can understand this mentality... but I don't agree with it still. I have had friends die. Shot or stabbed to death over petty shit in Oakland. I never wanted anyone to suffer, or be killed for it. I did want them to go on to live a happy and full life, if they could be rehabilitated. There are undeniably bad people in the world who will never be safe to be in society again, but I fully stand behind Norway's system as well: there's always hope. Maximum sentence of 20 years of rehabilitation, if they aren't, they be in for another 20 years, and always have it re-evaluated. Prisoners should be treated with respect and care and should try to become educated, learn their errors, make amends, and become better people. How does our prison system cultivate this though? Isolate people except for minor contact with other prisoners who will bond due to how terribly they're treated by the system. Minimal attempts to truly help them recover. The point is entirely punishment and revenge, and it doesn't make things better. It doesn't make anybody or any part of society better. I don't think there's ever been any evidence that punishment ever does anything effective. And it shouldn't be viewed as our primary objective when facing crime. Attacking the roots of crime, the circumstances, the conditions of the people are wildly more effective (and since somebody is thinking it, yes, more cost effective too) than what we're currently doing.
Didn't say I agree with it, but I certainly can empathize with it.
Every time this argument comes up, I am reminded of Hector Black. His story, and his views on forgiveness resonate with me.
I disagree. I'm not advocating an elimination of a correctional system, just a revised one. Mass incarceration of overwhelmingly poor, minority, non-violent offenders to long sentences isn't a system that works as it should. You're still going to have a prison system, but one where it effectively attempts to address underlying issues. If a violent criminal is put in the system, is it because of gang ties or mental illness? Is it a result of being forced into a gang from a young age? Is it a failed emotional maturity? Etc., etc. If you have somebody in for, say, assault with a deadly weapon, they should be targeted differently than a person committing petty theft. Additionally, reducing our very bloated sentences won't affect the overall deterrent idea; however, are we convinced that the system we have now is a convincing deterrent?
Speak of the devil. Also, check out American Crime, it's the shit, if a little overwhelmingly sorrowful, haha.