inspired by this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/25/norwegian-prison-inmates-treated-like-people

now this sort of thing ticks two opposite points of view pretty neatly. on one hand, the "how is this punishment" argument, on the other hand the "look, it decreases reoffending" argument.

there's also a good line about how long prison officers in Norway are trained for compared to in England.

there's actually some (emphasis: some) interesting discussions below the line on this one for a change, but what say YOU?