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Jail is jail. Doesn't matter how nice it is if you're not in control of your own life. I'd rather live free in a slum than captive in a mansion.
Don't know how this story compares to what the Finns are doing, but the Finns have put together a rehab-intensive prison system that boasts a recidivism rate (repeat offenses after release) of maybe five percent. Compare that to what, 33-50 percent in the US.
Punitive action feels good emotionally, and there truly are some twisted people in the prisons. But if you ever visit a county jail or prison, you'll see that the majority of inmates are -- clueless. Impulsive. Walk around with their mouths open half the time. Don't have the judgement God gave a flea. You can smack 'em around for $40k a year (the cost of keeping them), or you can try to help them find a clue and never come back.
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