Ordinarily progressives argue that public services improve when you increase their funding rather than cut it. Does this apply to policing and prisons? Well, Norway spends as much as $90k a year per prisoner, while the U.S. spends $31k a year.

It reminds me of some reporting I did on Alabama's prisons, where, despite cutting prison population year-on-year for a while now, the state isn't really saving any money. I asked their director of prison reform why, and he told me that it's because of overcrowding.

If you want a good prison that treats people well, like any other kind of housing or services, you have to be willing to spend money on it. Norway spent $129,222 per prisoner in 2018. Compare to the US state of Michigan, which spent $38,051 https://thecrimereport.org/2019/10/10/is-norway-a-model-for-better-prison-practices/#:~:text=Norway%20may%20provide%20an%20example,%2438%2C051%20per%20prisoner%20in%20Michigan.

That's why, "defund the police," whether it means eliminate police or cut funding for police, is probably misguided as a general principle.

Halden Prison in Norway. You get what you pay for