I could probably write an essay on this but I'll keep it short as best I can. To start I think grambo getting downvoted so much is a bit harsh and/or lacks some context. While the understanding that a lot of people here are showing for those on the margins of society is great, it misses important aspects of a fairly complex issue (imo). The cops are right that this would probably never see the inside of a courtroom, but allowing the crime of theft to go unpunished or without any interventions not only allows the problem to perpetuate but it contributes to the drug/crime cycle. So while consequences such as jail don't act as a deterrent for the majority of criminal activity, letting people go with no interventions doesn't provide any solutions either.
What AJ Barlas is referring to is called restorative or transformative justice, and it can make a huge difference in helping get people back on the right path in certain circumstances. It can lead to people getting access to services that may otherwise not have access to or take advantage of. Unfortunately the resources are not there to run these programs at the level they are needed. The irony of this is that the total cost to society is less if we spend the money to make these things happen vs not and picking up the tab in the form of policing costs, first responder costs, medical costs, legal system costs, insurance costs, etc . In the end the money for all this is coming out of one pocket, ours, so I think it makes sense to at least spend the money in a manner that significantly reduces the negative effects we have to deal with - like bike theft.
If you're asking what it's going to take to solve societal issues such as poverty, street crime, addiction, homelessness and mental health the answer is you and me taking time to put pressure on our governments that this is something we want to see fixed and that if politicians aren't willing to make it a significant concern then they might be looking for a new job. It also means that we're going to need to be willing to foot the bill for both types of interventions (preventative AND reactionary) till things can get stabilized. Solving the "problem" will require wholesale societal change on the way we view and deal with these issues.
March 20, 2021, 12:15 a.m. - Mark
I could probably write an essay on this but I'll keep it short as best I can. To start I think grambo getting downvoted so much is a bit harsh and/or lacks some context. While the understanding that a lot of people here are showing for those on the margins of society is great, it misses important aspects of a fairly complex issue (imo). The cops are right that this would probably never see the inside of a courtroom, but allowing the crime of theft to go unpunished or without any interventions not only allows the problem to perpetuate but it contributes to the drug/crime cycle. So while consequences such as jail don't act as a deterrent for the majority of criminal activity, letting people go with no interventions doesn't provide any solutions either. What AJ Barlas is referring to is called restorative or transformative justice, and it can make a huge difference in helping get people back on the right path in certain circumstances. It can lead to people getting access to services that may otherwise not have access to or take advantage of. Unfortunately the resources are not there to run these programs at the level they are needed. The irony of this is that the total cost to society is less if we spend the money to make these things happen vs not and picking up the tab in the form of policing costs, first responder costs, medical costs, legal system costs, insurance costs, etc . In the end the money for all this is coming out of one pocket, ours, so I think it makes sense to at least spend the money in a manner that significantly reduces the negative effects we have to deal with - like bike theft. If you're asking what it's going to take to solve societal issues such as poverty, street crime, addiction, homelessness and mental health the answer is you and me taking time to put pressure on our governments that this is something we want to see fixed and that if politicians aren't willing to make it a significant concern then they might be looking for a new job. It also means that we're going to need to be willing to foot the bill for both types of interventions (preventative AND reactionary) till things can get stabilized. Solving the "problem" will require wholesale societal change on the way we view and deal with these issues.