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Date published: 8/12/2008
This in response to the July 15 letter titled "Long terms for petty crimes clog the jails."
The letter broached the issue of incarceration of persons convicted of nonviolent felonies and petty misdemeanors. The Rappahannock Regional Jail offers many evidence-based alternatives to costly incarceration through our Community Corrections Division, and is one of the 10 Virginia pilot sites for the implementation This is being implemented within the entire Community Corrections Division at varying levels including: community-based probation, pretrial services, work release, electronic incarceration, and drug court. Community Corrections staff are trained to work with nonviolent defendants and offenders in building motivation and strengthening their commitment to making changes in their lives. The staff helps offenders to gain improved self-control, increase their circle of caring, engage offenders in pro-social values and situations, provide substance abuse services, and identify primary healthy relationships. Research shows that placing low-risk offenders with high-risk criminals increases the low-risk offender's risk of re-offending and returning to the criminal justice system. Therefore, alternatives to costly incarceration that are evidence-based are fiscally sound policy. Community collaboration through the Community Criminal Justice Board has begun to address this topic. Such collaboration is needed to address the issue of the growing inmate population and calls for evidence-based programs to reduce recidivism, which translates into a safer community. Joseph Higgs Stafford The writer is superintendent of the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
The addicts are the ones breaking into houses, shoplifting, committing robberies and other violent felonies. They are also driving intoxicated 10 or 12 times a day, slamming into people, and fleeing. Addicts are a big root of the problem, along with drunks.
These so-called drug addicts are incarcerated for being convicted of a jail able offense. Also what you fail to realize is that many of these drug addicts commit many crimes to support their illegal drug habits, such as breaking into someone's home (like yours) and stealing property. This property is then sold to support a drug habit. Once in awhile, they even harm innocent victims, such as assaulting or raping them while committing these felonies. Do you really want these people on the street?
The fact that the jails are jammed full of non-violent drug addicts just floors me. These people are not causing any problems to anyone and really just need rehab or drug counceling. That option would be far cheaper than confinement. Use the jails for violent offenders and rethink the drug policy and how we deal with addicts.
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