Law enforcers in the Greenland do things a little different over there. The prison that is located in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk has no wall, fencing or even bars around or within the prison. The prison consists of 60 inmates who have been convicted for murder, rape and burglary. The prisoners are allowed to have jobs that pay about $28,000 a year. $150 of their pay check each week is given to the prison and to pay for room and board. The inmates get to store the rest in their bank accounts and usually some of it is given to their families for support.
The inmates are allowed to leave the prison and visit a local store to buy something, such as a CD or DVD. They can also send emails and play computer games. They can even watch TV in their own room because each room has a television set with cable accessibility. Because of its popularity in Greenland, during the summer the prisoners can even request the use of a gun to go hunting. They can partake in this activity if they are accompanied by an armed guard and also are not drunk…while hunting! Yes, there have been many instances when prisoners have gone to a bar and gotten too drunk to find their way home so they had to call the prison for a ride. When the prison officials are asked why the prisoners don’t flee the premises, they reply that the prisoners don’t want to escape when they have a warm bedroom and a delicious breakfast waiting for them.
After reading this article, I experienced quite the culture shock. Even though, majority of New England states don’t use capital punishment, this prison seems to be a sheer luxury compared to prisons around here. I am all for prisoners having a job in order to pay room and board and support their families, but I do not agree that the prisoners should be able to come and go as they please. They definitely shouldn’t be able to use drugs or guns while being imprisoned, seeing as how that may have been what sentenced them to jail time in the first place.
What do you think? Should the United States adapt to some of these trends that Greenland uses in their prison. Do you think the freedom the prisoners are given actually punishes them and teaches them lessons about the crimes they committed?
Source: Essentials of Sociology: A-Down-to-Earth Approach (Page 158 Cultural Diversity around the World: “What kind of Prison Is This?”)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is crazy! I cannot believe that prisoners are giving such rights. Isn’t part of going to jail losing your right to roam freely because you committed a crime? The prisoner’s are living better than some people. If the same policies for prisoners were adapted here in the US, I believe we may have some people that are struggling to make ends meet committing crimes on purpose so that they can live a better life. I mean if you are homeless and living in an alley wouldn’t you rather commit a crime and go to jail where you will have a place to lie down at night and food to eat? Not only that, but you will have the luxuries that some people don’t even have at home, television and cable in your own room! I agree that inmates should be allowed to work in order to pay for their room and board, however the work should be chosen for them and the money they make should go directly to the prison, not into savings accounts! They should defiantly not be drinking and most certainly not allowed to roam freely! What is the point of being in prison? Are they forgetting the reason these people are in jail? Let’s be real, these ideas are ludicrous and should never be brought to the US.
ReplyDeleteThis jail is so unethical. Prisoners should not at all be living better than citizens that abide by the laws. Jail is where people are put that commited a crime and need a punishment. Letting prisoners roam freely to do what they want, is totally disregarding why they are put there in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAllowing prisoners to hunt is ridiculous! Who could ever just hand a gun to someone that possibly killed someone with a gun!?
I do think prisoners should work for their room and board so not as much tax dollars are used on jails, but they shouldnt be able to make anymore money. They are given everything they need in jail, so why reward them even more. Who knows when they get out of jail, they could use that money to do bad things with.
Also, people in this world can't afford internet or even a household, so why should the bad people of the world have these things? It's just wrong.
I do not believe that any US jail should be like this one. Prisoners should be treating like a prisoner, and not be respected as anything more.
I agree completely with these two posts. This jail is nuts! Isn't the whole point of jail losing the good privileges in life, and learning your lesson? There is no way that someone can look back on what they did and feel ashamed or like they want to change when they have such great experiences waiting for them in jail. They will never want to leave which will cause the prisoners to return to their old ways considering prison ain't so bad after all. All of the things that the prisoners are allowed to do is our of line. There is no way that this is sane.
ReplyDeleteI do understand however why the prison owners say that this way the prisoners will not want to escape, but I believe the whole point of jail is wanting to escape and make a better situation for yourself and those who you have hurt. I do also understand though that a lot of prisoners escape to get back at people, so maybe if they are put into this prison they will learn their lesson in a different way by comparing prison life to how they can make their own life resemble it.
Overall though, I think this prison is unethical.
This jail is crazy. I disagree with almost every aspect of it. They're in jail because they've committed a crime so what makes it okay for them to roam free, have a paying job, have access to technology, and go out partying?! They want to come back to prison at night because they have a warm bed and breakfast. It's almost like incentive to commit a crime vs. punishment. Prison is supposed to allow for the criminal to learn a lesson, to reflect back on what they've done. By running around and getting drunk, they aren't learning to take responsibility of their actions.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I do not believe that this type of prison would go over well in the USA. I say that because we are such a hard-pressed society that this "lazy town" prison would be too easy-going. I don't understand how this prison allows for the community to be safe if you have criminals running around drunk!
Reading about this prison is astounding to me I can't believe that there is a prison in the world that works like this. The point of jail is to separate these dangerous people from the rest of society, yet they are allowed to come and go as they please and pretty much do whatever they want. I can't comprehend how anyone would think this is a good idea, if I lived in Nuuk, Greenland I would be outraged that there were dangerous criminals running around, free to do what they please in my community. This type of jail would never work in the US. People here would never let that happen because we believe that going to jail should be a punishment not a vacation.
ReplyDeleteI thought "prisons" around the world were all based on the same fundamental concept- isolation from society to prevent further harm. Its shocking to see that the culture in Greenland is so different that prisoners are allowed these huge freedoms. When people commit a crime they demonstrate dangerous behavior that harms society. The purpose of prisons is to protect people from these dangerous acts and to discourage criminals from committing crimes. I think the Greenland prison executes neither of these purposes.
ReplyDeleteLike the other responders, I think that prisoners should be able to have jobs and that the money they make should go to support the families they left behind. There is no reason to make them stay in a jail cell. But by allowing them to come and go as they please and partake in any outside activities, I think that defeats the purpose of prison. Prisoners should want to leave prison at the end of their sentence and never want to go back. They should want to make improvements in themselves and in their life to make sure they never end up back in prison. By making it a place they WANT to be, I do not think that is a truly effective prison.
I think that this prison is outrageous and would never be acquired in the United States. Prisoners should not enjoy their time in prison. They should learn their lesson while being in prison and this will not be accomplished if they are free to have fun while they are there. This seems extremely ineffective because people will be more willing to commit crimes, knowing that they will probably have a better life once they are in prison. However, I agree with Emily that they should be able to work and put money into their own savings account. I think that this would enable them to make a better life for themselves once they get out of prison. Many prisoners continue to live a bad lifestyle after prison because they are impoverished and live on the streets. If they got out of prison with some money, they might try to turn their lives around. Prisoners need to be kept in isolation so they can think about whatever crime they have committed. The prison in Greenland is a ridiculous idea and it does not seem very effective.
ReplyDeleteThat might have to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. It seems like their lives in jail is more of a luxury then a punishment. These people committed crimes that in some states and countries are punishable by death. I feel like in certain circumstances where the charge was less violent the inmate should be able to work a job but the money should go to the jail and or their family. People go to jail to get privileges taken away not to live lives that are better than before they went to jail. I don’t think the United States would ever adopt a jail system like this. Jails are already overcrowded and funding is low that they would not be able to have the funds or the employees to be able to watch and keep track of the prisoners while they were out and about. I also think that if they did this system of prison a lot of people would never come back and try and flee, especially if their sentence is very long. I am very surprised that there isn’t a lot of outrage about this system especially from the families and friends of the victims. That is another reason this would never be as accepted in the United States. If I knew that a man who was sentenced to jail for murder had all of these freedoms, to drink, to hunt, and to work, I would be outraged, like many other people. This prison system seems ridiculous and not very effective.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that this jail is absolutely absurd! It's almost unrealistic how ridiculously loose the laws are in Greenland's prison system. Unfortunately, it IS a reality. If I were the family member or friend of someone who had been murdered by a man who had been sent to this prison, and he were given all those luxuries, I would be absolutely infuriated. These people do not deserve to have possessions that some people and families around the world cannot even afford. They should be provided with the bare necessities, so as not to treat them like barbarians, but they should absolutely not be presented with privileges, entertainment, and activities. And they should DEFINITELY not be handed a gun!!! The more I read this blog and the more I realize just how utterly absurd this is, the more outraged I feel that their prison system sounds like a fun place to be rather than a place to reflect on your mistakes and be punished for what you did. A prison is meant to lock up criminals, give them time to feel the punishment and hopefully acknowledge that what they did was wrong so that they do not repeat their crimes. Its purpose is also to keep the community and citizens safe, and if I lived in Greenland, I know I would not feel safe. It just does not make sense that these criminals are being treated with such respect and dignity that they will not notice anything wrong with commiting crimes. If anything, poor people who don't have those luxuries in the first place may find motivation to commit crimes, since it sounds as though these prisoners have nicer possessions than they might own themselves!
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty much one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard. That isn't exactly prison its more like a bed and breakfast. Like you said, its good that they can earn money in order to that take care of their families but where is the punishment? If they can come and go as they please how do people know they aren't out committing more crimes?
ReplyDeleteI do not think that the U.S. should adopt these views. The public would be appalled and we would not feel safe. If burglars, rapists, and murders were in a half jail half hotel then committing crimes wouldn't appear to be as big of a deal as it is. I feel like Greenland should monitor their prisoners further. I don't want anyone to be torchered, and I don't believe in the death penalty. However, I don't think that prison should be a place of luxury that should be taken lightly.
I thought that the concept of prison was to punish those who have done wrong, but clearly Greenland does not feel the same. These rapists and murderers are living the high life which is not serving the proper function of teaching them a lesson. People get thrown into jail to get privileges taken away but here they are still living the same way as they would if they were in the free world. This prison system is not teaching them any lessons on life, it is basically like they are just getting a slap on the wrist for raping, which, to me, is one of the worst things a person can do.
ReplyDeleteIt would be one thing if they were given the freedom to watch tv and dvds, but the fact that they have no walls keeping them in is ridiculous. Not only that, but they are allowed to go out to a bar and get trashed. Are you kidding me? They should be locked up in a small cell and given time to think about the wrong doing that they have done, not allowed to go out and drink their problems away. The purpose of a prison is to separate the law abiding citizens from the criminals, but this system is allowing the criminals to interact and live with the rest of the population. It just is not a fair punishment for the crimes they committed.
I do not think this prison system is effective at all because they are not getting punished, it seems like the only thing they have to do is be back for bedtime. They are basically allowed to continue living their lives, the only difference is that they may have raped someone, no big deal.
If I personally lived in Greenland I would not have a care, or respect for my country. I mean what is the worst that could happen? I would be thrown in “jail” for life. Can one even consider that a jail? Sounds more like a motel to me, except it’s free! How is this just? There are individuals starving on the streets, especially in third-world countries, and here prisoners of all people are living in the “lap of luxury”. I am particularly concerned with the fact that prisoners are allowed to drink alcohol. Alcohol should be a privilege, not something that is expected!
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I agree with the above posts on how prisoners should have to earn their room and board by working for it. Our valuable tax dollars are going to prisons, when they could be going to something much more valuable to help better the environment. Under close watch of course, I think prisoners should be given more responsibilities and employment opportunities to help pay for their stay. This would help raise prisoners’ self-esteem in a healthy way, as well as better our nation.
However, we cannot continue to let the prisoners of Greenland reside like this! I mean I personally would not feel reprimanded in this particular jail, and the prisoners’ feel the same way according to mollym, “the prisoners don’t want to escape when they have a warm bedroom and a delicious breakfast waiting for them”. Prisoners should aspire to turn their lives around and not feel comfortable residing in jail!
It sounds almost like a fun place to be, but no, the US should not adopt this type of prison. People already commit minor petty crimes so that they can go to jail for a week or 2 and get 3 square meals and a place to sleep. The crime rate would grow even higher if this type of jail system was in place because you get even more commodities here. I think that the crimes would be worse too (rape, murder, robbery) versus the small crimes that are committed purposely because you would get to spend even more time in jail. So no, I dont think that this type of jail system should be used.
ReplyDeleteAs for living in Greenland with this, I would not feel safe at all and I think that people would run around wrecklessly knowing that this would be the punishment. Im glad that the jails in the US are semi-harsh because that strikes fear so that people dont commit the crimes.
I don't believe that any prison anywhere should extend such privileges. your a murderer, a rapist, or a burglar and you deserve a well paying job, and opportunities to go to school? there are poor people out there who long for those opportunities and all they have to do is kill someone so that they can get a great job or go to school for a law degree while they should be rotting in a cell for the crimes they committed? your basically awarding someone for doing something horrible. I can see that you want to enrich and nourish them back to a stable standing in society but there is no reason they should have it better than the less fortunate that deserve it more.
ReplyDelete