If more people thought like you, perhaps more people would think twice before raping, murdering and robbing. I have trouble sympathizing with violent criminals.

OK, but what is making the US a more violent place than other comparable countries? http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/10/02/is_the_u_s...

USA is a historically-colonized nation with a large diverse population. "Comparable" would be Mexico, Brazil, or Nigeria. Comparing USA to Netherlands is a joke.

OK then.

In Nigeria, incarceration rate per 100,000 people is 30. In Mexico, 196. In Brazil, 193.

In the US, 737.

I don't disagree with you, but my comment addressed 'ljf's question about violence, directly above it. This myth that USA should exactly resemble a tiny homogeneous European nation has been encouraged by the prison-LEO-judicial-industrial complex in order to argue for ever more draconian punishments: "We're not like Holland yet, so let's lock up 100,000 more minorities!"

Netherlands are not that homogeneous. In Amsterdam, there are 25-30% of residents who are not Dutch. In Geneva, where I live — more than 50% non-Swiss residents.

(And, to be more like Netherlands, the US probably need to lock up less people, not more).