German prison or Disneyland?
On Sunday's 60 Minutes, an inmate convicted of murder described the German prison system as a "fairy tale."
After 15 years in prison, Bernd Junge, who shot a woman in cold blood, enjoys weekend leave. Bill Whitaker met him in a picturesque lakeside town, where he ate ice cream sundaes with his relatives.
One viewer compared German prisons to another fantasy land:
@60Minutes sounds exactly like #Disneyland
— ryan pratta (@devlwearspratta) April 3, 2016
Beyond weekend leave, inmates can take yoga classes, roam about freely, and cook their own meals on their cell block. Some cells look like studio apartments or college dorm rooms:
Wow...German's worst prison cells/rooms would cost $2,000 a month in Manhattan @60Minutes
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) April 3, 2016
This viewer was ready to pack his bags:
Let me get this straight? I get busted for selling drugs and go to prison in Germany. I get my own room that is nice as...
Posted by Jason Growel on Sunday, April 3, 2016
Others wanted the U.S. to sign up for the German reforms:
We need to do something different in the states - why not? Let's give it a try.... https://t.co/da56Yb48F1
— Edward Donohue (@edo31) April 3, 2016
Lower #recidivism rates, lower costs, more #rehabilitation . #duh https://t.co/eTIsRzrkSN
— Monica Palmer (@hop_monster) April 3, 2016
Still other viewers were appalled by the concept of crime without punishment:
@BillWhitakerCBS @60Minutes Nothing like being rewarded for taking the life of another. MURDERERS living better than our poor.
— Big Bertha (@MistralWinds) April 4, 2016
@BillWhitakerCBS @60Minutes Meanwhile, their victims remain dead and their families bereft while these men enjoy a country club life. #wrong
— Big Bertha (@MistralWinds) April 4, 2016
@60Minutes So their victims didn't deserve futures? Let the murderers rot. These liberal types are pathetic.
— My World at Six (@worldatsix) April 2, 2016
Then there was this skeptical reaction:
@60Minutes we won't do things differently here because too much money is involved. We screwed up the system now we need to fix it.
— Annette Browder (@AnnetteBrowder) April 3, 2016
And one viewer added the German approach could be a key that America's prisons shouldn't throw away:
Watching @60Minutes story on the German prison system which focuses on rehabilitation. So important to see that there is another way.
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) April 3, 2016