Those nations may have people who are better at hiding their drug use or homosexuality, or more people repressing it, but that’s NOT a good thing.
They’re are crimes worth being more strict about, and crimes that shouldn’t even be crimes.
I’ll also note that being more strict about a given crime doesn’t necessarily mean just throwing them in a cell and throwing away the key. If the only response you have for someone doing something wrong is punishment, you aren’t actually going to make anything better for anyone.
Proper, and actually effective policies to deter most crimes (that are actually worth being crimes ) MUST include supporting education, public health, (both physical and mental), economic strength and balance, as well as supporting and rehabilitating those convicted of crimes, and researching the REAL factors that drive crime whether they be economic, environmental, or otherwise. For example, in the years since we stopped using leaded gas in cars, there has been a significant decrease in certain types of violent crime because we’re no longer poisoning our brains with lead. Countries with good sex education and safe, legal abortions also tend to see statistically noticable reductions in crime.
For example, after Portugal decriminalized drug use, side from the obvious reduction in drug related prison population, drug overdose deaths went down, and remain below EU average. And to this day Portugal has one of the lowest rates of drug use in the EU. So what’s the point of being’strict’ on the crime of drug use???
Money spent fighting the inequalities and injustices that lead to crimes is far more effective than money spent in punishment.