IntroductionImprisonment and its effectiveness have been the subject of much debate in recent years. Prisons were relied upon as a means of social control and this has further increased over the last 20 years in the UK and especially in the US. We rely on confinement while remaining blind to the falsity of our assumptions about its role and effectiveness. As Garland (1990) has argued, limited to its technical functions, imprisonment does not work, there are other institutions much better suited to providing goods such as "reparation", "inclusion" or "correction". Yet public support for the growing use of imprisonment is based, at least in large part, on these narrow, technical and unproven reasons (Useem et al 2003). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay So, we need to think about how much a prison helps in the rehabilitation of offenders and their successful resocialization into society and take necessary measures to prevent recidivism. We must also consider alternatives such as restorative justice which has proven effective in dealing with minor crimes and in creating friendly relationships between the offender and the victim through a sense of mutual understanding. This obviously cannot be applied to serious crimes such as murder, sexual crimes, etc. This plays a vital role in the rehabilitation and improvement of the offender by making him understand the effect he has had on the victim and the severity of his crime. there is no denying the fact that states are less likely to get rid of prisons, so the main focus must be on how to improve the prison system by bringing some reforms to the state prison system by understanding what works and what needs to be eliminated. For example, a prison sentence should be imposed only in cases where it is necessary for the rehabilitation and reform of the offender. First we need to understand the concept of punishment and the reasoning behind it. For many philosophers and most ordinary people, justification lies simply in the view that punishment is seen as deserved for the offense, in which case it is called retributive punishment. For others, it is based on the practical or instrumental advantage aimed at discouraging repetition or disabling the perpetrator of the crime, which means preventing him from repeating the act by blocking him or depriving him of the means to commit it. While others suggest punishing primarily to express social disapproval or “denouncement.” In the current scenario, the focus is on the offender to do good or rehabilitate him or her through participation in a counseling, education or training program. However, even in the mildest form of rehabilitation offenders will be subjected to a degree of duress that may be uncomfortable or something they would not do voluntarily. Therefore, punishment generally amounts to some form of deprivation of liberty, time or money, and sometimes even social position. Detention has a huge impact on the individual, especially on a psychological level. In a seminal study of the prison environment, Gresham Sykes (1958) identified five major pains of confinement. They were: Loss of freedom. Deprivation of social goods and services (choice, comfort and material goods). Frustration of sexual desire. Deprivation of autonomy (regime routines, work, activities, banal and seemingly meaningless restrictions). association with other unpredictable prisoners, causing fear and anxiety). Sykes (1958) argues that imprisonment cannot be seen only as a loss of personal freedom, butConsiderable harm lies in the deprivation and frustration that accompanies the deprivation of freedom, such as isolation from the community. , lack of sexual intercourse, etc. He also said the attack on ego and self-esteem had serious psychological consequences on a prisoner. For Goffman (1961), these were the microhumiliations and assaults on the self imposed by the "total institution"; for Cohen and Taylor (1972), it was the existential anxieties relating to identity, survival and change provoked by long-term detention. In such accounts, prison was almost a metaphor for deprivation and domination. Cohen and Taylor used extreme survival narratives to draw parallels to the experiences of research participants. Goffman classified the prison, the asylum and the military institution as places destined to mortify the self. Sykes himself noted the similarities between the maximum security prison, the concentration camp, and the Soviet labor colony, describing the former as “the new leviathan,” “a social system in which one attempts to create and maintain a social society total or almost total". control' (1958). In the current context, prisons have become less difficult than they were in the past. prisoners are treated kinder and more humanely, but prisons have become harder on prisoners in other ways. Movements are more limited, security has been strengthened and risk has become the system's trump card. Prisons are materially more comfortable, but remain psychologically harmful. For long-term prisoners, once conditions reach a certain standard, they cause less consternation than the difficulties of progressing through the system. The prison experience is less directly oppressive, but more compelling – lighter but tighter. Instead of brutalizing, destroying, and denying the self, he grasps it, harnesses it, and appropriates it for his own project. It transforms the self into a vehicle of power rather than a place of final refuge. (Ben Crewe,2011)Another factor that impacts the prisoner is the lack of personal security and feeling of vulnerability. Living with other criminals convicted of murder, theft and other serious crimes creates a sense of constant fear and insecurity in the prisoner's mind. Young prisoners are said to be more likely to be victimized than other inmates in a prison. In a prison, acts of aggression towards others are considered a way of establishing one's authority or dominance. There is a constant power struggle between gangs and groups which often leads to conflict. Life in prison is difficult and every day is seen as a struggle. Invariably, people join groups to seek "protection" and companionship, but ultimately become influenced by the group's ideologies and engage in criminogenic activities. Another recognized problem in prison is drug use which defeats the purpose of rehabilitation and causes those who do it to relapse. have been jailed for drug-related crimes. We can see that prison life has a serious impact on the inmate more psychologically than physically. This makes it difficult for the prisoner to live a normal life after what he has experienced. Another concern then becomes how society views these ex-prisoners upon their release. They have difficulty finding a job, a place to stay and to some extent are even ostracized by society, labeling them as criminals. For this reason they disconnect and often try to escape from reality or resort to crime. To understand the methodologies of rehabilitation of offenders and what could be the most suitable way to reform a criminal we must take the example of two stateswhich could be defined as stark opposites from each other in its rehabilitation methodologies and how they apply them in the real world, namely the United States of America prison system and the Norwegian prison system. These prison systems were only selected because of the stark contrast in beliefs of both countries in relation to the rehabilitation of offenders and the difference in their approach towards it. Norway seeks to solve a social problem rather than harm the offender, which is very different from the United States' imprisonment as part of the price for committing a crime. These two ideologies are profoundly interesting in terms of how these states undertake a common goal but with two different ways of achieving it and which is more effective in achieving that goal. Since the 1990s, there has been a movement in the United States government to be tougher on crimes and impose harsh punishments for crimes. Because of this, the rate of imprisonment in the United States has increased dramatically and prisons have filled to capacity. The trend continues even in the current scenario. In the United States, prisons tend to be more regulated and prisoner movements are more restricted. There is crime within the prison walls, drug use is prevalent, and gang conflict is quite common. Prison guards are said to be more distant towards prisoners and are not expected to socialize with them. It has also been said that prison guards do not treat prisoners with respect and often tend to intimidate or bully them. Prisoners have limited time for recreation and exercise and have very few facilities within their cells to live with. Prisoners have little to no privacy as regular checks are carried out on their belongings for contraband. They have limited access to education and entertainment. Things increase, as prisoners are isolated and often find themselves in a state where they are unable to connect with anyone or live under constant fear of danger due to which they have many psychological problems which are not adequately addressed by the system. There is often discontent among prisoners towards prison guards. To keep tabs on prison guards' abuse of power, security cameras have been installed in various prisons, which has increased prisoners' safety and rights. The prison system in the United States focuses on the front end of justice which is to imprison them. but it makes no effort to address the final part of the system, which is to decrease the likelihood of them reoffending or reoffending, as well as their well-being upon release from prison. Prisoner recidivism statistics show that approximately 68% of released prisoners were arrested within 3 years, 79% within 6 years, and 83% within 9 years (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018). After release from prison, it becomes very difficult for ex-prisoners to find a place to stay, work and live a normal life given their past. To some extent they are labeled by society as criminals. In 2016 there were a total number of 2,162,400 people incarcerated in the United States prison system, the highest in the world. The US government also spends a lot of money on the country's prison system, about 71 billion dollars a year, which has been highly criticized by the public due to the lack of results in adequately rehabilitating and reforming prisoners and making them a better member of society. In Norwegian prisons in the 1980s and early 1990s there waslittle cooperation between prisoners. Prisoners engaged in drug use and other antisocial behavior and did not respond well to rehabilitation programs. Their incarceration model accentuated psychiatric problems in prisoners and the increased probability of recidivism was approximately 60-70%. This was a cause for concern and since the early 1990s the Norwegian prison system has undergone a significant transformation. Since then, “Punishment is the restriction of freedom”. it is said to be the fundamental principle guiding the Norwegian prison system. In Norway, deprivation of liberty itself is seen as a serious punishment, but the prison system nevertheless tries to guarantee as much freedom as possible to offenders. Instead of seeking retaliation, the Norwegian state views crime as a social problem and seeks to repair the damage caused by crime rather than punish those responsible, a practice also known as restorative justice. Bastoy and Halden prisons are vying for the title of the best in the world. world. Bastoyla prison was called "The most beautiful prison in the world". from CNN They use a gradation system from high security to low security, then to a halfway house after which they will be reintegrated into society. In Bastoy prison, the main focus is on rehabilitation rather than punishment. There are no bars on the windows, the kitchens are well equipped even with sharp knives for cooking. Located on an island, the prison has no walls or fences and inmates have the keys to their own room with the appropriate furniture, can do the work they like, eat what they want and can move freely within the facility. Inmates have access to higher education programs such as master's and even doctoral programs. This education is focused on being helpful in re-entering society. Prisoners can seek help from mental health professionals, attend anger management programs and even learn to cook. The goal of the system is to rehabilitate the offender by imposing as few restrictions as possible. The relationship between prisoners and prison guards is one of trust and friendship. At the end of the day only a handful of guards remain on the island, and prisoners sometimes keep their jobs while serving their sentences. The justice system not only takes care of its prisoners during their sentence, but also helps the prisoner reintegrate into society by working together with other agencies to ensure that ex-prisoners have a place to stay, work and have access to a support system . In Norway the maximum prison sentence that can be given to a prisoner is 21 years, which can be extended by the judge from 5 up to years at a time. There is no death penalty as it was abolished in 1979. Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Even for such a serious crime there was no discontent among the Norwegian people, there was no demand from the public for harsher punishment or a call for change. to the prison system. This symbolizes the trust people have in the system and the belief that the system works. It is not difficult to notice that the Norwegian prison system is more expensive than the US one but the conclusion By studying the two systems we can understand how different rehabilitation methodologies can impact the offender one system tries to punish the crime with a harsher sentence and another which treats crime as a social issue and deals with it with a more humane approach and focuses on the rehabilitation and reform of the offender. We must face the fact that prisons are expensive to maintain, states must use them.