Joyce Dudley: What Can We Do About Rising Crime Rates? | Opinions

“If it’s predictable, it’s preventable.”
— Gordon Graham

For essentially the most half:

Joyce Dudley

In case you don’t arrest a power drug consumer/thief (who rejects remedy), she or he will proceed to steal.

In case you don’t present free high-quality/follow-through drug remedy applications for individuals who are searching for them, addicts will proceed to abuse medication.

In case you don’t reply to a 9-1-1 name relating to a recognized mental-health affected person whose historical past contains acts of violence, with BOTH regulation enforcement officers and psychological well being consultants, the affected person will doubtless develop into violent and due to this fact be arrested.

In case you don’t incarcerate a pedophile or serial rapist, he’ll discover one other sufferer.

In case you don’t maintain gang members accountable for crimes dedicated within the “furtherance of their gang,” they may proceed to commit crimes for the good thing about their gang.

In case you don’t give chronically homeless individuals a house, PLUS a caseworker to assist information them to success, they may return to being homeless.

In case you decriminalize driving drunk and medicines, thereby eliminating all penalties, together with schooling and remedy, extra individuals will probably be killed by drivers who’re below the affect.

Are there outliers to my above assertions? In fact there are, however these are the exceptions.

I imagine the above statements are predictable and due to this fact preventable. I additional imagine if we observe by way of on my options, we will forestall a portion of those predictable crimes and social injustices.

I additionally imagine we will do extra in 2022 to cut back our current pattern.

» Take heed to the voices of victims of crime and think about their perspective within the realm of reform. A sufferer of against the law will not be a statistic or identify on a report. We should now concentrate on this particular person,and their group, within the context of public security.

» Prosecute drug sellers, and below the suitable circumstances, if the drug they knowingly furnish or promote kills somebody, prosecute them for homicide.

» For individuals who commit minor crimes, display them for diversion and restorative justice applications however resist arbitrary diversion placement that received’t result in rehabilitation.

» Educate all first responders and group members in implicit bias and public security/justice, and maintain them accountable for his or her actions.

Lastly, I strongly imagine the most effective response to crime is prevention, and one of the best ways I understand how to stop crime is to put money into our future, in our youngsters:

» Create common prenatal care, house visits to susceptible households, and high-quality early childhood and pre-Ok applications.

» Insist on partaking after-school applications for all grades with a wide range of decisions: arts, sports activities, sciences, trades, group service, and many others.

» Help early and ongoing bodily and mental-health screening for all kids, and be sure that high-quality follow-up therapies are instantly out there.

Do I feel my above options will forestall all predictable prison and social justice points in our group? In fact I don’t.

However I imagine if we institute even a few of these modifications, to even some extent, it can assist scale back crime, enhance justice and due to this fact save lives.

— Joyce Dudley is Santa Barbara County’s district lawyer. The opinions expressed are her personal.