Is that really true though? Singapore, for instance, is notorious harsh, but few would call it

Action without consequences is action undeterred.

As many folks with problem family have had to learn.

Even in societies that put less emphasis on punishment, there are still consequences.

I wonder who told you otherwise.

You seemed to, or is your rebuttal not a rebuttal?

A rebuttal of which statement?

My comment tries to explain a different mindset to someone who seemed surprised that it exists at all, not directly answering their honest question, but rather trying to create understanding of that different way of thinking.

There's no rebuttal here, because there was no statement that could be rebutted - assuming that was actually a honest question I replied to.

Examples of these closer societies might be helpful, and how they do things differently.

> Examples of these closer societies might be helpful

Pretty much all of Europe.

The US are often take as an example of an exceptionally individualistic society - in every sense of the word. It's also one of the most punitive countries in the world (the most punitive by some metrics). It's really not hard to find places that are both closer to the other side of the spectrum and less punitive. Drop a pin on a map.

Scandinavia is not "all of Europe".

Correct.

Look. I am not an American and your answer doesn’t tell me much. A name of a country that you think is somehow representative of the international mainstream and the features of their justice/penal system that are an improvement would help me understand your point better.

Norway, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Austria, etc. Pick one. Compare them.

Or ask something specific, no one here is going to give you a full run down of every European nation's penal system along with the US one for you to compare and contrast.