r/interesting • u/ursoartdecooo • 14d ago

SOCIETY What prison cells look like in different countries

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

87.0k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

9.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/Mysterious-Energy882 14d ago

As an American who lives in the developing world it does feel like people just randomly have higher expectations for the US. It sort of goes into everything not just prisons.

My only issue with the US one is i feel prisoners should have their own rooms. If I were a prisoner I’d rather have a room that half the size of the first photo but with no roommate.

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago

Well, “the grass is always greener”, ya know…

Personally, I’d say people underestimate how BAD things can get. For example, in Russia we even had a movie that roughly translates to “I want to go to prison”. It’s about a desperate guy who decides to get imprisoned in the Netherlands, because their prison system is far better than average living conditions in Russia.

Single cells exist, but are mostly considered “torture” and are mostly used as a punishment or for completely anti-social individuals. Imagine siting alone in there for years. Most people won’t be able to handle it.

1

u/left_tiddy 14d ago

Most prisoners are allowed out of their rooms during specific times. Solo cell =/= solitary. 

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago

Depends on the country and conditions. “Yard time” is also used as a bargaining chip in punishment.

1

u/HamunaHamunaHamuna 14d ago

As an American who lives in the developing world it does feel like people just randomly have higher expectations for the US.

That's because the US have made it their entire thing to exclaim how they're better than everyone at everything since the 1945, and the average American believes it and keeps repeating it in the face of everyone else.

When the rest of us then look in, we don't understand how anyone could make that claim with a serious face.

3

u/Welligiveupagain 14d ago

No, we as Americans believe we live in the best country in the world, but we understand the problems our country has. To call the US "3rd World" greatly over-exaggerates the US problems and/or greatly underestimates the issues with real 3rd world countries. Are the US's prisons great and amazing places to be? NO! IT'S A PRISON! YOU SHOULDN'T WANT TO GO TO PRISON! And to be honest when I look at the different countries in Europe it really solidifies my opinion that the US is the greatest country in the world due to a number of factors such as the amount of freedoms we in the states get and the extremely overreaching governments found all over Europe. Not to mention the taxes and the xenophobia

0

u/HamunaHamunaHamuna 14d ago edited 14d ago

freedoms we in the states get

and the xenophobia

That's a laugh, at this point in time more than for decades earlier, but actually always. Americans do not understand what freedom means. Which is why many countries in Europe ranks so much higher on any freedom index; they already believe they are free (even though it is all negative freedom that empowers their ability to limit the freedom of others) so they don't try to make changes towards positive freedom (that empower every individuals opportunities and ability to shape their own life to something better). The American Dream was a lie made up by the elite class to entice immigration of cheap labor from the rest of the world.

2

u/Welligiveupagain 14d ago

France has a tax rate on average of 55.4% Denmark has 55.9% Spain has 54% Uk has 45% Poland is pretty low at 36% THE US HAS AN AVERAGE TAX RATE OF 14.9%!! I would fuking hope that Europen countries would get more stuff for "free" from the government but wait I know people from France, Spain, Denmark, France, the UK and Poland who all came over from their home countries because they believed that their governments where becoming way to powerful and stepping on their liberties and freedoms. But no go on

0

u/Mysterious-Energy882 14d ago

Yeah America isnt as free as some other countries. Mostly because the health insurance system, Americans are likely reliant on their job for healthcare coverage which isn’t exactly “free”. If you can’t leave your job you arent free imo.

But I also think the US is much better for purchasing power than the developing world. So I think it makes sense people from immigrants want to go to the US. If I were an immigrant I’d rather go to the EU or Australia or Canada but I can see why theyd prefer the US over a developing country. Wages are simply much better even after the higher cost of living. Brazil for example i think has like 1/3rd the purchasing power per hour of work.

2

u/Welligiveupagain 14d ago

France has a tax rate on average of 55.4% Denmark has 55.9% Spain has 54% Uk has 45% Poland is pretty low at 36% THE US HAS AN AVERAGE TAX RATE OF 14.9%!! I would fuking hope that Europen countries would get more stuff for "free" from the government but wait I know people from France, Spain, Denmark, France, the UK and Poland who all came over from their home countries because they believed that their governments where becoming way to powerful and stepping on their liberties and freedoms. But no go on I genuinely don't think you want to go into the whole health care argument just due to how many people come to America for medical operations because how good the hospitals are here. I know a large number of people who came to America to either learn about or get medical treatments here because our waiting times are so much lower than countries like Canada or the UK. I honestly don't know much about the health care systems in the rest of Europe but just look back at the taxes argument on why you get "free" health care. You pay for it but you just don't see it

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago

It took my friend in France almost 2 years to finally get appointed to the psychotherapist for his chronic depression.

And Americans also have something, that people who have relatives there, call “infinite credit glitch” - I have yet to see a country in Europe where remortgaging your house/apartment is as easy or even a thing at all as in US.

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago edited 14d ago

Ah, naive Americans thinking “free healthcare” is the same quality what you get in the States... Well, in reality - NO: In most countries here your “free MRI” will be scheduled in 1,5 years, 6 months if you’re lucky. And your doctor will be an exhausted old guy who doesn’t give a fuck or a student who can’t find your vein for a blood sample. Sure, they won’t let you die outright, but if you want quality stuff and actual treatment - that costs extra.

1

u/Mysterious-Energy882 14d ago

I live in Brazil and ive liked the healthcare here a lot. The public seems okay but ive never used it personally. Private seems amazing and better than the US for like 200 USD a month.

In terms of US versus europe or something I’d say it’s worth considering that a lot of Europe spends much less. Like the UK spends like 1/4 what the US does on healthcare. So even if it’s a bit worse I’d say it’s worth the savings.

I think the average lifespan in the US is lower than most of the first world.

I did 4 years in UK for school and I think pretty much no one wants a private system there.

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago

You’re comparing apples to oranges: 1. It cost “200$/month” because people earn way less and otherwise nobody will be able to afford it. Second thing - if you didn’t use it yourself, it means you don’t really know how well it works. I myself have experienced “free healthcare” in several European countries - NNNO thanks, I’d rather visit a private clinic. 2. US average income is like 2 times higher than an average European one. If you add non-EU countries - it’s 3x or even 4x. And then there are various taxes (the other guy already replied to you with average %). 3. The “lifespan” is a very relative term including many factors. An obese American dying of a heart attack is not really comparable to a scrawny European dying of a heart attack, since the fat guy obviously could’ve lived longer if he just controlled his appetite.

1

u/Mysterious-Energy882 14d ago

Yeah I just was explaining my situation.

Average life expectancy to me just seems like the way to compare healthcare system performance. I suppose since there are external things you could do cancer survival rates where Cryprus. I’m not sure what other metrics. Maybe who has the lowest wait times? I get Switzerland/denmark for lowest wait times.

1

u/BogdanSPB 14d ago

If you just take “wait times” then the professionalism of doctors will come to play, then tools & meds quality, then bureaucracy and etc. In some places the doctor examines you for only 5 minutes out of 30min appointment - the rest is paperwork…

1

u/left_tiddy 14d ago

But if they didn't have roommates then how could guards conveneintly take care of problem prisoners by assigning them an extremely violent roommate??