Posted on 08/24/2012 6:47:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In 2011, Anders Brevik set off a bomb outside a government building in Norway and then slaughtered dozens of unarmed people on a retreat, methodically picking them off as they tried to escape from an island. Seventy-seven people died in Brevik’s murder spree, and the unrepentant killer gave an unemotional description of his actions in court. The court in Norway reacted by handing down a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison — just under 100 days per murder victim:
"A Norwegian court ruled Friday that confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was sane, deciding he was criminally responsible for the massacre of 77 people last summer.
Reading the ruling, Judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen said that “in a unanimous decision … the court sentences the defendant to 21 years of preventive detention.”
Actually, the sentence is for a 21-year maximum. The minimum is 10 years, or 47.4 days per victim. In Norway, courts can keep prisoners past their maximum release date if a judge finds that they remain a danger to the community. The prosecutors, who wanted Brevik committed for life as insane, loaded up the court record with tales of Brevik’s horrors, apparently anticipating that they would need the testimony later to keep Brevik behind bars.
And how sad is that?
I’d bet that in 21 years, Brevik will be found safe enough to release, if not earlier. If the court wanted to keep him behind bars for life, they surely could have done so today. A sizable contingent will argue that keeping Brevik any longer would be cruel and wasteful … and that’s not just a European impulse, either.
This is why it's my contention that capital punishment is in fact, life affirming. It demonstrates that as a society, we will exact the ultimate penalty for the wanton taking of another life. Anything less than that diminishes the value we place upon the victim.
And daily conjugal visits.
And after a few years in jail a person qualifies for welfare benefits.
I can learn to like salted herring paste, yes I can!!
Here’s a photo essay on the prison system. If you anger easily do not view this link.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1989083,00.html
1617 years sounds reasonable...
I hope he is stalked and hunted the minute he is let out.
He probably won’t want to leave.
Norway does not not believe in justice.
This callous creep needs to hang by the neck for 99 days for each victim.
Norway deserves death too.
The food in Norway is awful, unless you grew up eating it.. ack.
The only good restaurants are the foreign foods, and that is a stretch..
Martha Stewart could offer him some points on the interior decorating of his room.
I agree.
I'd guess that few would complain that "he only had to give 1/77th of his life per victim." This is what makes doing that "99 days per victim" math look so foolish.
I was reading about serial kilers last week and some of the South American countries have the same issue. They have a maximum sentence that is a joke so all these mass murderrs and serial killers walk after a few years.
One guy killed hundreds and he only got the maximum of 18 years.
I honestly believe he calculated the maximum punishment into his crime. He knows he can live on the government dime for 20+ years and then migrate to another country where he is unknown to live the rest of his life in peace.
If he did, that wasn't too smart of a calculation. The maximum sentence in Norway is 21 years, plus indefinite detention if still considered a threat after 21 years).
"The prison's exterior features earthy brown hues that help it blend in with the surrounding woodlands. Inside, however, the walls explode with color. Halden hired an interior decorator who used 18 different colors to create a sense of variety and stimulate various moods. A calming shade of green creates a soothing atmosphere in the cells, while a vivid orange brings energy to the library and other working areas. A two-bedroom guesthouse, where inmates can host their families overnight, includes a conjugal room painted a fiery red."
"Halden's architects preserved trees across the 75-acre site to obscure the 20-ft.-high security wall that surrounds the perimeter, in order to minimize the institutional feel and, in the words of one architect, to "let the inmates see all of the seasons." Benches and stone chessboards dot this jogging trail."
"There's also a recording studio with a professional mixing board. In-house music teachers — who refer to the inmates as "pupils," never "prisoners" — work with their charges on piano, guitar, bongos and more. Three members of Halden's security-guard chorus recently competed on Norway's version of American Idol. They hope to produce the prison's first musical — starring inmates — later this year."
"At Halden, rooms include en-suite bathrooms with ceramic tiles, mini-fridges and flat-screen TVs."
"To ease the psychological burdens of imprisonment, the planners at Halden spent roughly $1 million on paintings, photography and light installations. According to a prison informational pamphlet, this mural by Norwegian graffiti artist Dolk "brings a touch of humor to a rather controlled space." Officials hope the art — along with creative outlets like drawing classes and wood workshops — will give inmates "a sense of being taken seriously."
What does their food consist of mainly? What’s so bad about it? I’ve never had it or know very little about what they eat.
OMG this is insane.
I am shocked. Only 21 years? I thought I was reading things wrong.
Look at that prison! It’s not even a prison. It’s an apartment! WTF?
Norway needs to get their stuff together and lock up criminals.
How much time do rapists and child molesters get? a month or 2?
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