FREEDOM FROM CRIMES AND FREEDOM FROM   MISGUIDED PRACTICE IN THIS REALM

"In 1973, there were 328,670 arrests for drug law violations … In 1989, there were 1,361,700 drug arrests, nearly 10 per cent of all arrests. In 2002, [the] number rose to 1,538,813. Forty-five per cent of the 2002 arrests were for marijuana rather than for more dangerous drugs … Between 1980 and 1994, the prison population tripled from 500,000 to 1.5 million. In 2002 the United State incarcerated 2,166,260 persons ". (p.108) Michael WGangster Capitalism – The United States and the Global rise of Organized Crime by Michael Woodiwiss

 

The United States is today the world's number one jailor. And home of the most registered crimes. Its prisons hold 25 percent of the world's entire prison population (most of whom are minorities and drugged individuals) and a 2002 Department of Justice ruling allowed Americans to torture prisoners as long as the torturer "in good faith". In the U.S., there are presently over 29,000 gun-related deaths per year. Over 3,000 children and teens lose their life to a firearm every year.  Violent crime remains one of the most pressing concerns to residents of our major cities and one of  Washington State’s  persistent challenges. As for the problem of youth violence and crime, consider the Senate' Judiciary report on this:

“Eighteen percent of high school students now carry a knife, razor, firearm, or other weapon on a regular basis, and 9% of them take a weapon to school. A Principal Cause: Media Violence. The Committee report reviewed existing studies and found: Eighty-seven percent of American households have more than one television, and almost 50% of children have television in their rooms; 88.7% of homes with children have home video game equipment, a personal computer, or both. An average teenager listens to 10,500 hours of rock music during the years between the 7th and 12th grades. By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence." (Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman Committee on the Judiciary Prepared by Majority Staff Senate Committee on the Judiciary September 14, 1999).

 

Although the present Attorney General is doing the best he can on the "meth-identity theft" front, there are still many other "public order" challenges left un-met, the solutions of which are respectfully proposed  below.

MEASURE 1:   STRICTER RULES ON IDENTITY THEFT WITH RECOMMENDED LOCK MAIL BOXES.  Greater rigor to combat identity theft activity would be useful. Different studies confirmed that 1 in 5 Washingtonian is impacted by identity theft, the ninth worst State in the Nation. Better laws are needed as well as better enforcement of those which exist in order to track and sentence the violators. In this perspective, locked mail-boxes would need to be better distributed.

MEASURE  2:   LESS ACCESS TO VIOLENCE ON TELEVISION: In a similar vein, we need better laws and greater prosecution against online predators and against those who are responsible for producing and allowing youth to be exposed to excessive violence on the television screen , on video games and hard metal music. " By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence." (Senate Committee). CLICK HERE TO EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE ON THIS ISSUE, evidence from the  US Judiciary Senate committee).

MEASURE  3: .  MORE IMPLEMENTATION OF CORPORATE FRAUD AND BETTER PROTECTION OF THE CONSUMER. On the other hand, more corporate pollution and fraud prosecution and more consumer protection need to be better structured.

MEASURE  4:  . ADDITIONAL DRUG COURTS AND REHABILITATION PROGRAMS:  Additional drug courts are needed to reduce crime recidivism by providing ex offenders support via job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. In this perspective, a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment is encouraged. Also where appropriate, non violent offenders should  be given a chance to serve their sentence in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior. Clinics that provides legal thc medicine to qualified patients, including pain management via botanicals for debilitating diseases should be better protected. New clinics to help cure the "meth" victims via holistic health is also  useful.

MEASURE  5:  POLICE ENFORCEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Police officers across the State would benefit from holistic health emergency techniques and human rights savoir-faire and some form of accountability would be needed to deter police excesses.

MEASURE  6:   RESTRICTION OF GUNS: STATE GUN CHILDPROOF AND OUTLAWING LOOPHOLES.  Reasonable measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners are requested by most Americans, but a majority also request keeping guns away from children and from criminals and psychologically dangerous individuals who shouldn't have them.

MEASURE  7:  REFORM OF CORRECTION FACILiTIES: For those in jail short term, to avoid recidivism, long term inmates need to reside in different quarters. Rehabilitation and healing ought to be the rule, meaning access to education, to holistic medicine, better food as well as 8 hours a day redeeming work that would both assist those in need and help the inmates pave the way back into social integration and responsibility (a necessary policy given the failure of the present prison system, over 50 percent of criminals use jail time to prepare worse crimes). Progress is not " more prison beds", nor is it in early releases. It is in rehabilitation and healing.