When someone commits a crime in this country, we lock them up—and we do it a lot. If you look at just the people who are incarcerated globally, a disproportionate number – 20 percent – are in American prisons. The U.S. criminal justice system was created to enforce laws, punish offenders, deter crime, and protect society. How well do prisons help accomplish those things? Current incarceration and recidivism rates suggest some room for improvement. Are there other options? In this podcast episode, we get perspectives on the effectiveness and purpose of prison from a man serving life for murder and a father whose son was murdered. We also look at how Norway’s prison system was reformed in the 1990s to lower prison violence and re-offense rates. Norwegian prisons today are focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. A handful of US states are implementing Norwegian concepts, so we’ll speak with the superintendent of Oregon’s largest prison to understand how America might benefit from changing the role of incarceration in our justice system.