Question One
From the conflict theory point of view, crime and deviance are caused by inequality of social and economic factors. The police represent the government authority and the wealthy and influential people who have power such as the politicians and executives in a state. Policing is carried out by maintaining law and order in public, enforcing laws and criminal prevention, detection and investigation. In the different videos watched, the police in Miami violates the rights of Dr Henderson, who is an African-American doctor and harasses him without having committed any crime (Democracy Now, 2020). The police officer is not wearing a mask and while shouting at Dr Henderson saliva falls on his face. This is serious police misconduct during this time when social distancing is important in the fight against Covid-19. His act is purely racial profiling and violation of rights of the person he is supposed to protect.
In Spain, the police are giving out ten million masks at the major transportation hubs to commuters who are going to work and are wearing the masks themselves. In Philadelphia, however, police are punishing commuters for not having personal protective equipment instead of giving him a mask and reminding him to always wear on (CBS Philly, 2020). The police forced the commuter out and did not arrest him nor gave him a ticket. The incidence in Spain makes the public to trust and respect the police because they truly serve the public with diligence (Now This News, 2020). However, in the U.S, police are brutal and not even maintaining the recommended social distance, and thus the public fails to trust and respect the police.
Question Two
The role of prison in the U.S and Norway is to confine criminal offenders such as murderers, drug dealers and rapists. In the United States, the prison is retributive and confine crime offenders under closed prisons with strict restrictions and watchful guards. The offenders are locked up most of the time and only go out to work or to get fresh air for an hour. Criminals are severely punished for their wrong doings. On the contrary, a prison in Norway is liberal and based on rehabilitation of inmates to find their selves, change their lifestyle, develop self-confidence and be responsible also that they can join the society as changed individuals (Chih-Huei Wendy Wang 2010). In Norway, humanity is key and thus prisoners are not punished any more than necessary and are given second chances to make it right in life.
After serving their prison sentences, criminals in the United States are still punished long after their jail term (Vox. 2017). They are denied several things such as the right to vote, employment opportunities, public housing and college education. They are also excluded from public benefits, separated from their children and even deported despite being legal citizens. Life after prison is never the same because the convict will never be part of society. Their lives become full of restrictions which leads to more crime, poverty and incarceration. In Norway, however, rehabilitation enables inmates to go back to society as responsible citizens who are equipped with skills such as computing, socializing and communication skills ( Napló. Északi 2014). They rarely go back to prisons as re-offenders because they become responsible after their sentence. Therefore, the prison approach in Norway brings about positive reforms on crime offenders and the society at large while in the U.S it leads to a life of misery after prison that leads to a rise in crime rate.