Jeff Hawkes’ column “Time for a prison-policy rethink” concludes with the following: “The good news is that there are alternatives for drug users that work better than locking them up.
“[Corrections Superintendent Jeffrey] Beard favors reserving incarceration for the worst of the worst and expanding treatment for the large numbers of less serious offenders whose criminal activity is fueled by substance abuse or mental illness.
“‘Treatment is not only less costly than incarceration’, Beard said, ‘but it’s also better at reducing repeat crime.’
“Sentencing reform that recognizes the futility of punishing addictive behavior appears to be where Sen. Stewart Greenleaf is headed.
“”We have a criminal justice system that’s based on punishment alone,’ said Greenleaf, a Montgomery County Republican and Judiciary Committee chair. ‘Punishment without rehabilitation is a failed system.'”
WATCHDOG: Running around in circles wagging his tail in agreement!
