(response to thread entitled Senator Berglin's Crime) I�ve been following this subject with interest, and wholeheartedly agree with Wizard�s assessment:
Chemical addiction requires treatment, sometimes several treatments before the person treated finally gets all his/her ducks in order to choose life. Treatment/AA/NA/etc. can be done in prison. </wizard> I work with folks who develop/create/market/sell treatment materials to corrections audiences. My colleagues don�t work in a vacuum, but work closely with people within the corrections industry. Substance abuse is a factor in roughly 90% of crimes committed. As I understand it, the frontline corrections folks wholly understand that treatment works. The problem, IMHO, lies with policymakers who set budgets and who feel that any expense that isn�t for punitive measures is being �soft on crime.� Now, I totally understand the need to answer to one�s crimes. But the trouble is, these untreated offenders will eventually return to our streets and will continue to raise havoc--not just in the community, but to themselves. Another ideology embraced by corrections folks is cognitive behavior therapy: that crime is a �thinking� problem before it becomes a �behavior� problem. People who have created cognitive behavioral materials have commented on the similarity between our (�our� meaning mainstream society) thought patterns and criminal thought patterns. The difference is, we don�t always act on our impulses, while others do act on the thought, �He dissed me, he deserves to die.� While my post may not be Minneapolis-specific, it does dovetail with the discussion about situations faced in Jordan, Phillips, and other impacted neighborhoods. If anyone would like more information, feel free to contact me offlist. That�s my take from the mean streets of Bruno. Hope everyone is staying cool. Susan Maricle formerly of Folwell __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
