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Seth Grimes, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

In the U.K., recidivism rates are up to 72% within five years. For the U.S., it’s 76.6%, and Canada’s ranges from 37.9% to 52% from two to five years. This means that, within five years, more than half of those released from prison in those countries will end up back there. This is creating a cycle that destroys the lives of not only those going to jail, but the families that are left behind. Children raised in single parent households are more likely to experience challenges related to poverty, as well as behavioural, emotional and educational issues. This also hurts the parent left in the community, who now must somehow generate income and raise a child at the same time.

So, which countries are doing well when it comes to recidivism? One of the best-known countries in this respect is Norway, with rates of 20%-25% from two to five years. One in four people still isn’t ideal, but it’s a far cry from the numbers seen in Canada or the U.S.. Norway is clearly on the right path, but how did they manage to get there?

Norway wasn’t always known for its low rates. In fact, they had a 70% reoffending rate after two years of being released back in the 90s. The first thing they did was focus on rehabilitation over punishment. This is the opposite of what some groups are calling for right now in the U.S., where they are in fact asking for harsher punishments. They claim that the prison system is too soft, yet we have seen in studies that harsher punishment does not have a deterrent effect. Just thinking of this on a micro level, a child does not learn a lesson if you punish them for doing something wrong. They learn when they are told what they did wrong and what they can gain from doing the right thing.

Many of Norway’s prisons are considered to not even be that, but actually rehabilitation centres. They focus on giving prisoners the tools to turn their lives and mentalities around. Many say that this is not real punishment for people who have committed crimes such as murder or rape, but the philosophy underlying this statistically more successful system is that taking away an individual’s liberty is punishment enough. The claims that it is too nice due to prisoners getting free education, exercise with trainers and conjugal visits three times a week are countries by prisoners simply having nothing else to do outside of this. After all, they lost their freedom to leave and do what they wanted. Considering the difference in recidivism rates between Norway and the rest of us, maybe listening to what they have to say on this topic is the smart thing to do.

However, putting so many resources into rehabilitating people does come with its own set of challenges. The average prisoner in Norway costs approximately $93,000 per year. In the U.S., it’s $31,000, though that number varies widely across states. A system like Norway’s would need some serious financial backing at the very start, but over time, with lower recidivism, there would actually be far fewer people in prison. In 2021, Norway only had 3,651 people in jail. With a population of over 5 million, this is less than 0.1% of their population. This is a tiny number of people. Norway would be spending just over $339 million on its total prison population. The U.S. has over 1.6 million people in jail, with an overall cost exceeding $80 billion. And this is only the base level of exactly how much the U.S. system costs. It is incalculable, the cost borne by the people who have their lives negatively impacted, or even ended, due to a lack of rehabilitation. The sheer number of prisoners in the U.S. would come with a hefty upfront cost to transition to a more rehabilitative approach, but in 

the long run, it could be a huge benefit, not only to those stuck in these systems, but general society. 

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My name is Seth Grimes and I’m a journalism student who believes in creating a world where everyone feels like they have a chance to make something of themselves.