I Love Criminology And Psychology

There are a lot of people in custody for what can be considered minor offences, eg., drug possession, minor theft, pretty much any offence that doesn't physically harm or overly inconvenience others. My thought is that these offenders could be dealt with more effectively by way of community based sentences, either home detention and/or enforced program participation.

Offenders with drug problems could be dealt with by way of enforced AOD programs and ongoing community support and counselling. In my experience, a lot of theft is associated with drug addiction. So counselling and ongoing community support may also work for those offences.

As and extra point, the legalisation of drugs and their supply by the Government would reduce the impact of the black market on users, giving them the opportunity to get drugs without having to commit offences.

Your thoughts and opinions are very welcome.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

wildbill83 · 36-40, M

most of the people in custody for so called "minor offenses" are repeat offenders.

The parole system is broken, they might as well call it the "catch and release program"

Encouraging good behavior obviously doesn't work with many, so the time and money would be better spent by discouraging bad behavior.

i.e. If the carrot doesn't work, use the stick...

Bushranger · 70-79, M

@wildbill83 I'll agree that the parole system is horribly flawed. I can't speak to the situation in the US, but here in my state there are not enough resources to adequately deal with the needs of offenders in the community. Offenders serving short gaol terms will most likely not be offered custodial based programs due to their short sentences and are released with limited support, leading to further offending. So, yeah, a lot of them are repeat offenders. What I'd like to see is a committed attempt to break the cycle.