Gentle justice (too bad it works)

Yes, that's irony in the headline, for all the Dirty Harry's among us. From the New York Times, this story of justice in modern Finland. It's not very harsh, but then, they don't need much of it. (Coincidence? Hmm.)

The [Finnish police] force is the smallest in per capita terms in Europe, but it has a corruption-free reputation and it solves 90 percent of its serious crimes.

''I know this system sounds like a curiosity,'' said Markku Salminen, a former beat patrolman and homicide detective who is now the director general of the prison service in charge of punishments. ''But if you visit our prisons and walk our streets, you will see that this very mild version of law enforcement works. I don't blame other countries for having harsher systems because they have different histories and politics, but this model works for us.''

Finland, a relatively classless culture with a Scandinavian belief in the benevolence of the state and a trust in its civic institutions, is something of a laboratory for gentle justice. The kinds of economic and social disparities that can produce violence don't exist in Finland's welfare state society, street crime is low, and law enforcement officials can count on support from an uncynical public.

I think you could argue that class war breeds heavy-handed policing (though a profit opportunity for some).

Or, as I explained elsewhere, "When you break the social contract from above, it breaks from below as well." (Thanks for the tip to Griffon in the comments to this Taser-riddled post.)

GP