Penal System in Norway and the United States: A Comparative Study, The

Policing and punishment are two concepts that are undeniably related. One does not exist without the other. Generally, as the level of policing increases, so does the level of punishment. This trend could account for higher rates of incarceration. This paper will examine how the attitudes and perceptions toward crime affect policing and punishment in Norway and the United States. Even though the two systems share several common traits, the processes and procedures implemented by each reveal a stark contrast between the two. Social attitudes and perceptions are vastly different, and this affects the manner in which criminals are treated by society and prison employees, and also affects the prisoner's self-image. This paper will examine various aspects of both the Norwegian and the United States criminal justice system. Certain cultural disparities were elicited as a result of the individual study done for each country. The United States had significantly higher amounts of crime rate per capita than did Norway. This study, which compared the two penal systems, not only presents an accurate description of the general crime rates, it addresses several issues that have attributed to the disparity.