Thursday, May 10, 2012

A Correction

     Recently - on the doomed TV7, mark you! - I watched Roger Brooking and Simon Cunliffe discussing the appalling results of our country's "correctional" policies. I became deeply concerned.
     In the first place, we had better give up the title Department of Corrections; it seems that nothing much is being “corrected”. We’re just locking offenders up with others who are likely to have the worst possible effects on them.
     But the figures that really drew my attention were the observations that about 80% of crime that results in imprisonment is related to alcohol and other drugs; and less than 5% of convicted criminals are required to enter drug rehabilitation programmes as part of their sentence.
     Seems to me we haven't got a problem with prisons.
     We have got a problem with alcohol and other drugs.





1 comment:

  1. Later this year a new Drug and Alcohol Court will be opening in Waitakere - an initiative from Judge Lisa Tremewan, who has researched the effectiveness of such courts in USA mainly and if those directed to courses/services don't pick up the option then there will be consequences. Its all about problem solving not punishment. This is the first time these courts have been trialled in N.Z. and we all have high hopes of a high success rate.

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