The Law and Justice Room
According to several news organizations The Devil was recently captured by a Norwegian fishing ship on the ice covering Atlantic Ocean. The Devil is not Satan, responsible for all Evil in the World, but he is one of the sea demons responsible for disappearance of many ships that ventured into Arctic Waters. The Devil is thought to be Igor Frankenstein.
Many newscasters point out that The Devil is Pure Evil and has nothing good in him. Everyone agrees that The Devil should never be set free. Many news commenters argue that The Devil should be subject to an extremely severe punishment. Scholars of Renaissance Studies suggest that The Devil should be broken on the wheel. People who study USA suggest that The Devil should suffer for decades in a Supermax Prison in US South. Prolonged solitary confinement causes extreme mental pain. Every Summer the heat is unbearable, and for a demon that lived in the ice even more so. American guards are extremely brutal.
Let me play the Devil's Advocate. I argue for treating The Devil humanely, but I do not base my argument on Devil's benefit. I argue that treating The Devil humanely will benefit Society.
The Devil should have a three-cell unit. The first cell should contain Devil's bedroom and bathroom. The second cell should contain his exercise and dining room. The third cell should contain a small library, a flat-screen TV and a computer without Internet access. The Devil should be prevented from communicating his evil thoughts either to other prisoners or to the outside World. The Devil should have limited communication with the guards and he should be able to talk to a therapist several times a week. That would save him from despair, while saving the rest of the World from his evil.
It has been pointed out that The Devil is Pure Evil and has nothing good about him, and I accept this point 100%. It has been pointed out that giving The Devil the luxurious conditions described above, while keeping high security will cost Norwegian taxpayers $2 Million per year. Most commentators believe that spending that much money on a purely evil being is wasteful. Below I argue that spending this money will greatly benefit Society.
I agree that The Devil is Pure Evil with nothing good in him. The Devil can not be rehabilitated. We know that The Devil will never again interact with Human Society except for his guards and psychologists studying him. Nevertheless, by extending humanity to The Devil, Norwegian Society itself will further commitment to treat everyone humanely.
If the Purely Evil Devil is treated humanely, then prison administrations, and the guards would be much more committed to treating the 191 incarcerated killers humanely. They have committed an evil act, but they are not The Devil. The vast majority of them will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into Society after serving an average of 12 years. Treating them humanely and helping them find rehabilitation is beneficial both to them and to Society.
If The Devil and 191 killers are treated humanely, then Norwegian Justice System, prison administrations, and the guards would be much more committed to treating the other 2,587 prisoners humanely. These prisoners themselves, as well as those on all levels of administration would know that they have a right to even better treatment then the worst. Many Minimum Security prisoners would continue enjoying the benefit of spending weekends and in some cases several hours each day outside prison unsupervised. That would help them reintegrate into society. Already, Scandinavian recidivism rate is 20%, while US recidivism rate is over 76%. The cruelty of US Penal System is much less beneficial then rehabilitation.
If The Devil, 191 killers, and 2,587 other prisoners are treated humanely, then Norwegian Society would be much more committed to treating troubled, yet law-abiding people humanely. People who use drugs would be given timely and extensive help. Those unwilling to work would receive good benefits and many of them will eventually find a job they like. Some Norwegians believe that drug users and lazy people should be treated like the poor in USA, but Norwegian Society will strengthen the resolve to treat everyone humanely. That would keep Norwegian drug use and crime rate far below the corresponding rates in USA.
If The Devil, 191 killers are treated humanely, 2,587 other prisoners, tens of thousands of lazy people and drug users are treated humanely, then Norwegian Society would be much more committed to treating hundreds of thousands of people with genuine Mental and/or Physical Disability humanely. They will continue to get all the help they need. Norway would continue to view the American practice of abandoning those who need help as barbaric. The whole World will continue to view Scandinavia as an Ideal Society.
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Originally Posted by nathanbforrest45
