“I think a lot of people simply assume that more money for the police will mean safer communities,” said co-author Akwasi Owusu-Bempah. “We’re demonstrating that that’s not the case.”
Not simply the legal system. With a system designed solely for incarceration rather than rehabilitation, and with little support upon release, it’s no wonder those people reoffend.
It’s essentially, “Let’s imprison this person for a fixed amount of time because of something they did. Then, let’s release that person, now with even fewer resources, right back into the circumstances that lead them to commit the first crime and act surprised when they do it again.”
Rehabilitation is great, but only if someone is a willing participant.
You can’t force someone to be rehabilitated, just like you can’t force someone to get clean or sober.
Even when services are offered before someone becomes a criminal, they need to actually use them for those services to work.
And if they commit a crime and are released, there’s no guarantee they’ll use those services then, either.
It’s a complex issue, for sure, and it covers everything from homelessness to mental health and beyond. But I still don’t believe that arresting someone just to let them go to re-offend the next day is working.
It’s definitely not. However, I’d bet many people would use those types of services if they were widely available, easy to access, and were offered with respect rather than judgment. No one wants to be poor, or homeless, or imprisoned. Sure, there will be a few who refuse assistance, but not providing the services in the first place force many people to a point of desperation.
We’re talking about healthcare and social services for the most part, but we still need to address criminality. These crimes have real victims who don’t feel like justice has been on their side.
Even today, I’m reading about someone who breached parole, which he was on after killing someone, and they were “transported to a Correctional Services Canada facility to complete his sentence”. These stories are endless in Durham Region.
Not simply the legal system. With a system designed solely for incarceration rather than rehabilitation, and with little support upon release, it’s no wonder those people reoffend.
It’s essentially, “Let’s imprison this person for a fixed amount of time because of something they did. Then, let’s release that person, now with even fewer resources, right back into the circumstances that lead them to commit the first crime and act surprised when they do it again.”
Rehabilitation is great, but only if someone is a willing participant.
You can’t force someone to be rehabilitated, just like you can’t force someone to get clean or sober.
Even when services are offered before someone becomes a criminal, they need to actually use them for those services to work.
And if they commit a crime and are released, there’s no guarantee they’ll use those services then, either.
It’s a complex issue, for sure, and it covers everything from homelessness to mental health and beyond. But I still don’t believe that arresting someone just to let them go to re-offend the next day is working.
It’s definitely not. However, I’d bet many people would use those types of services if they were widely available, easy to access, and were offered with respect rather than judgment. No one wants to be poor, or homeless, or imprisoned. Sure, there will be a few who refuse assistance, but not providing the services in the first place force many people to a point of desperation.
I agree.
We’re talking about healthcare and social services for the most part, but we still need to address criminality. These crimes have real victims who don’t feel like justice has been on their side.
Even today, I’m reading about someone who breached parole, which he was on after killing someone, and they were “transported to a Correctional Services Canada facility to complete his sentence”. These stories are endless in Durham Region.