There's a movement in some law circles towards "Restorative Justice" which I think is even more forward thinking than Norway's prison system. It focuses on the victims interests instead of the governments (imagine this applied to Aaron Swartz).
> Restorative justice (also sometimes called reparative justice) is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender.
I would say the focus is more on the offenders' enlightened self interest. Not everyone is aware of the best course of action given a situation. That goes for both offenders and the people who have decided to perpetuate our punitive prison system.
> Restorative justice (also sometimes called reparative justice) is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice