A top government official in Britain believes that criminals suffering from drug addiction or a mental illness will benefit more from being sent to treatment rather than to jail.
Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is introducing a proposal that would be voluntary, but would ultimately help society as a whole.
“For those for whom drugs are the main problem, it is obviously sensible to tackle their addiction outside prison, if that is what is needed to stop them committing crime, rather than incarcerate them with more drug addicts.“
The head of a drug treatment advocacy group, Revolving Doors, concurs with Clarke’s recommendation.
“If you focus on just one issue it won’t work,” said Dominic Williamson. “I think community-based treatment as part of a sentence would work for a lot of people as long as there is a clear pathway once they leave. What happens in prison is that people receive treatment but then they are kicked out and go into the community where there is nothing for them.”