Declare peace in war on drugs
Given the high cost of the nature and the war on drugs - to the state, regions and cities, families, businesses, neighborhoods, property values and insurance rates - nothing in the field criminal justice, in addition to shout, like Our approach to the reform of drug addiction and related crime.
In some ways - either directly or through taxes, or the cost of insurance for motor vehicles and housing - addiction affects the lives of every man, woman and child in Maryland. The same is true at the national level. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, all plans for a change in the current policy in two wars: one in Iraq and drugs. Both were in the wrong information, both have more than anticipated, and both have proved far too expensive.
Here in Maryland, members of the General Assembly, had the opportunity to start a lifting of the drug war, and blew it - yet.
It is a modest reform of the system, that the population of our prisons and places of detention to historical levels.
The reform has the Assembly of Delegates of certain municipalities have injected the sense that an urgent need. Rather than maintain laws, low-level criminals by merchant and forcing them to serve tough minimum standards in jail - at the expense of taxpayers, Maryland up to $ 26000 per inmate per year - the Smart On Crime Act Word of care These offenders After a few years behind bars.
The change would primarily on non-violent offenders. It was aimed at dealers users - Before anything else, men and women living in poverty, patterns sold. The possibility for the judge would grace flexibility, as with these defendants, the need of treatment, not prison.
For the last 25 years, minimum standards have been the hallmark of the Federal Constitution and local wars of drugs, they are among the main factors in Maryland tripling of the prison population, and since 1980 also why the United States now includes every 100 adults. Acknowledging the failure of this approach, and particularity, the reformers in Annapolis discretion of the judges wanted to give a few words about non-violent offenders.
Also in this supposedly liberal state, even minor, this repeal was still to be overcome. The help of Gov. Martin O’Malley, the veto with the law over the past year - on a radio show, he said that “drug trafficking is a crime of violence, which must be punished - seem not be revised law is a success. demagoguery employs some Republicans, are asking the Smart Crime Act of the “soft on crime.” Many Democrats wimped.
O’Malley, and the legislature has increasingly a missed opportunity, Maryland, on the map of progressive reform.
It could be history by the establishment of a holistic model of dependency for criminals, starting with the non-violent way. Open a little room for Spring Grove Hospital Center. Give them to supply the demand. Their learning skills in the “recovery of the camps.” Sit down at work in a service to the community as the transition to employment in the labour force.
This is not an unheard proposal.
Nor is it something that would be great political courage.
Several surveys have shown that 65 percent to 75 percent of Americans believe drug users should receive treatment, not prison. In June 2006, Annapolis Works Opinion published an overview of more than 1,000 Mary Landers and found that nearly 67 percent on treatment in detention centres. But we are not there yet. Far from it.
According to the Justice Policy Institute, Maryland spends about 26 cents for every dollar for the treatment, we pass a einkerkern addicts. The Drug Policy Alliance reported that in the years 1980 and 1990, the amount of the war against drugs, spending for prisons has increased in the four times during our spending for higher education.
We are talking about billions of dollars - $ 97 billion spent by the cities and departments of the side by side, which is a four-year-old figure.
The Shield prices - which are not federal expenditures and the authorities of the country’s prisons - which is mentioned in a new report from JPI.
“Jails Warehouse are now more people over long periods of time than ever before,” said the Institute. “Jails are filled with people facing drugs, the homeless and those living with immigration offences. [America’s prisons],” new homes, with six out of 10 people in prison with a life mental illness. ”
Nastassia Walsh, one of the authors of the report, said: “These environments can not afford to invest most of their budget for the local public security in the prisons, and we are beginning to see why - plus a community In prisons rests, it has less investment in the fields of education, employment and good strategies for public safety. ”
It could be argued that Obama, Clinton and McCain have all the great things in mind - Iraq, the recession, the mortgage crisis - but in a downcycle economy, the nature of crime in this column will probably still worse. We have to prepare for it, and we are not.
Locks to addicts, people careless Warehousing, citizens can more productively with minimum geizend for treatment, limiting treatment courts drugs and ignore the extent of mental illness in prisons, as well as the maintenance of barriers to the employment of offenders re - Entry - All that we do is, everything is expensive.
All of this should be the failure of past policies.
But this is what we have left.