This is partly a cultural difference. In Europe, there is just less emphasis on the retribution aspect of punishment. For an extreme example that’s impossible to imagine in America, see the case of the Norwegian shooter.

And yes, I do think Europe does things better. The reality is that retribution serves no practical purpose. The kind of person who commits an awful crime is, by definition, not the kind who thinks hard about consequences, or else like here it’s done in hot-blooded anger. Either way, the abstract fact of punishment is not going to function as a deterrent. So all we’re left with is the primal urge to inflict suffering on the perpetrator. Personally, I like to think that we can try to rise above that.