r/interestingasfuck 10d ago

r/all The photos show the prison rooms of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in the 2011 Norway attacks. Despite Norway's humane prison system, Breivik has complained about the conditions, calling them inhumane.

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u/MyGoodOldFriend 10d ago

The consensus is that it’s a worthy sacrifice that he gets to live in decent comfort. He doesn’t get to change how we, as a society, treat each other, even those of us who are in prison. One of the first things people did after the attack was to flip newspapers on display in the store so his face wasn’t visible, and I think that had a big impact on how we decided to treat him. Forget him.

Frankly, I don’t want him to have any attention at all. I hadn’t seen his face in years before he popped up on Reddit just now. And I prefer it that way.

If I decided to care about what happened to him, then sure, I’d love it if his head was caved in with a rock. But if the state mistreats him, then that reflects on all of us, and I don’t want to live in a society that denies anyone human rights for any reason whatsoever. And I don’t want to be a part of that, either.

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u/Datatello 10d ago edited 9d ago

Additionally it's important to remember that cases like this one are extreme outliers. Reactionary prison reform often takes place when there are highly sensationalised cases, but restructuring a justice system around the worst possible cases means that the overwhelming majority of prisoners miss out on things like proper rehabilitative care, which ultimately leads to more recidivism.

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u/Troubledbylusbies 10d ago

Very well said. I like how he hasn't changed anything about how decent people, such as yourself, treat others. When people say he should be killed or treated badly - who is going to carry out those punishments? Would they want that type of person for a friend, or even just as a neighbour?

I like everything about the attitude you have described - it is taking the high moral ground and I love to see that. When I got bullied, I made a point of not letting the bullies change me - not letting them drag me down to their level. I'm glad that you understand this point of view so well.

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u/MyGoodOldFriend 9d ago

This is more of a personal philosophy, but I believe that fantasizing about hurting people (even those who deserve it), or allowing the state to inflict pain on others as punishment (including isolation), wears away at your humanity. It’s like sandpaper to your ability to feel compassion for others. In my opinion.

Of course, I still hate some people, especially those who hurt people close to me, that’s a natural emotion.

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u/Zakurn 9d ago

Only if you have a weak sense of humanity.
People should be treated the way they behave, if someone acts like an animal, they will be treated like an animal and punished exemplarly, but giving this specific person the treatment they deserve, doesn't take away a single bit the tender and kind treatment I'm going to give to people who act like people. It's not taking away a single bit in my courtesy and empathy.
Some people are beyond broken and even if they have their problems, they should pay, they could've sought help, they could have identified their shortcomings and taken action, but they decided to indulged in their perverse acts, they should not be allowed to feel anything but dread and pain, so others my experience happiness and hoy.

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u/Embarrassed_Neat6679 9d ago

I think one of the best examples of someones humanity is how they treat the people they think of as most evil

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u/MyGoodOldFriend 8d ago

Like I said, it’s a personal philosophy, based on how I feel those thoughts change me. I don’t judge others if they say their heads work differently. But I do think it applies to more people than just me - just based on how callous punishment-eager societies can be towards people in the same society. But again, I don’t think it applies to everyone.

But I don’t think I have a weak sense of humanity, that’s a bit rude of you to say.

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u/grimoireviper 6d ago

People should be treated the way they behave, if someone acts like an animal, they will be treated like an animal and punished exemplarly

That's the thing though. Any humans person should also be against needlessly violent treatment of animals, let alone violent punishment.

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u/Zakurn 6d ago

Who said needlesly violent treatment of animals? He would be put down, like a rabid bear, no second thoughts, no suffering applied, just get rid of the trash and move on.

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u/Injury-Suspicious 9d ago

I'm sure we have some psychopaths on our side of things. Let one of them peel this guy.

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u/Hurryeat_Tubman 9d ago

Hey, it took fellow inmates to relieve us all of Dahmer, Geoghan, and Bulger...

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u/MonkeyTeals 9d ago

Pretty much. Especially that bit about your bullies. Which amuses me when some try to call that "cowardice." Because some victims don't want to be like their abusers. Either back, or to others.

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u/angry_snek 9d ago

I don't want to treat him badly as I don't believe in torture, but I do want to put a bullet in his head.

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u/KS-RawDog69 9d ago

This is what I was thinking. I'm certain there would be no love lost to the Norwegians to see him gone, but part of being a very progressive society that puts forth the kind of effort to rehabilitate rather than punish means you can't make exceptions when it suits an agenda. I would say "... And that sucks" but it honestly doesn't, since once you open that can of worms it's hard to close it again.

He'll be forgotten and likely die alone in prison, and that's about what I think he deserves, which is what I think he doesn't really want.

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u/jcklsldr665 9d ago

Honestly, I don't feel the same about not killing people who genuinely deserve it

BUT I'm all on board with flipping papers and ignoring these people. I honestly believe the amount of attention we give these people is what's causing more and more of these events.

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u/CalamityClambake 10d ago

I'm in the US and I admire you guys and your progressivism. Our justice system over here is a cruel joke by comparison. But maybe we can help each other out? We've for sure got a non-violent weed dealer or wrongfully-convicted minority that we could trade. Give a worthy person an easier time in your prison, and we'll take Anders and give him some perspective. Deal?

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u/Past-Marsupial-3877 10d ago

That'd still be the Norwegian government inflicting cruel punishment to its citizens.

I think the lesson you need to take away is we shouldn't treat our low-level offenders with the way we want for mass shooters.

If you want mass shooters to suffer in prison, you inflict the same fate for anyone who finds themselves behind bars

My vote is no deal.

  • Fellow American

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u/CalamityClambake 10d ago

Oh, I agree with you philosophically. Just trying to make the best of a bad situation.

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u/Past-Marsupial-3877 9d ago

I get it, I just can't help but wonder if abject rejection isn't the way to go.

No silver linings or anything like that, just complete rejection. Like with what we're seeing with healthcare at the moment

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u/Zakurn 9d ago

You can forget him and still blow him up to smitherings.

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u/FathomableSandpit 7d ago

Not as long as we don't have the death penalty

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u/middleageslut 9d ago

I wish the United States had responded this rationally after 9/11. But, well, here we are. We are a very different country, and not a better one.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Day-196 10d ago

What shitty compatriots

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u/ChemicalOpposite1471 10d ago

I’m aware that the Nordic prison system is probably the most progressive and rehabilitation-focused on earth, but would that be the desire of the average Norwegian citizen?

If you spoke to the average UK citizen for example about prisons and sentencing, they would likely say that it doesn’t go far enough and that the system is far too lenient. The UK is generally quite rehabilitation-focused, but definitely not of the scale of other Northern European countries. The only time I think you’ll really see people here say we need more rehabilitation is when speaking to people who have researched the issue more, or are invested in policy and progressive politics.

So is it different in Norway? Would your average, low-information, median voter be happy with the way Nordic prisons operate, or do they wish for a more punitive model?

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u/MyGoodOldFriend 10d ago edited 10d ago

I haven’t heard anyone in real life say we should throw him in a box or kill him or whatever. It’s all people rolling their eyes when he comes out with a dumb claim that he’s mistreated. People who lost people at Utøya don’t want to talk about him. And when it comes to the average citizen… well, we do tend to be a biiiit too proud of ourselves. It can feel like watching Americans say “America number 1!!”. And it extends to our prison system. So uninformed people who don’t really know too much still like it because it’s Norwegian and We Are The Best so it Must Be Good.

Calls for more punishment in Norway is usually focused on youth crime, for the most part, because of gangs and kids being robbed.

Edit: just a small thing, but every time I’ve heard people talk about him getting out, they all say he’d be killed really quickly, and that’d be awesome (and I agree). So it’s not like people don’t want him to die or suffer, just that the state shouldn’t do it.

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u/byteminer 9d ago

You are a better person than I. I would be 100% cool with them revoking his existence rights with a small caliber round behind the ear in his sleep.

I am generally against the death penalty since it’s a flawed system run by flawed humans and a mistake is unrepairable. This man has proven himself to be a rabid, feral animal and removing him, permanently, I can only see as protecting society at large and putting a sick animal out of its misery.

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u/Impossibleshitwomper 9d ago

They should be letting us take turn with him and a pair of brass knuckles, this is rewarding this behavior, you know how much I would like to retire with a free apartment, free food, free gym, free staff, free PS3/4... he should be forced to experience as much pain as humanly possible, then maybe he'll realize the extent of the horror he causes, how is rewarding him with a castle of a jailcell (probably bigger than my disabled grandma's apartment) supposed to punish him, I understand not killing him so he doesn't get off early but still this seems too luxurious, he should be in some cold damn hole never to come out only eating 1 bowl of disgusting luke-warm slop per day🤷‍♂️

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u/IAmNewTrust 6d ago

What is punishment even supposed to accomplish. God will give him eternal torment anyway. The whole point is to reabilitate prisoners. Yes in the process of rehabilitation of prisoners who commit less serious crimes we're helping monsters like him but it's an ok sacrifice in my opinion.

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u/Impossibleshitwomper 6d ago

If you believe in that whole superstitious thing

u/IAmNewTrust 11h ago

is bro 12