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Originally Posted by Sundae Girl
I just wonder what this new law hopes to achieve? It's specifically targeting people who have not shown any previous regard for the law.
I'm not suggesting that as law breakers they require cosseting - just in the case of addiction I believe it's more sensible to offer help rather than punishment. De-tox isn't a soft option. If they go to gaol the chances of them detoxing - sadly - are minimal. It's certainly more cost effective in the long run to get someone off drugs than to keep locking them up.
And in the specific case of pregnancy, more cost effective to a) get them off drugs or b) offer them the chance not to produce drug addicted babies.
Of course I'm coming from a UK perspective where free contraception is avilable to everyone.
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Sorry... this is a really long post.
Just because someone has shown no previous regard for the law doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be punished. I have had first hand experience with a drug addict, my sister. She never gets the punishment she deserves because the judge doesn’t think it will do any good. And I am not just speculating their reasoning, they said so themselves. And because she always gets off light, she continues to do the same things that have her end up in a courtroom. I think that the more they are punished, the more likely they will be to stop doing what is illegal. Now, it will take time for this to occur. But at least they would be more careful about how they acted if they knew that they would go to jail for a year for one offense.
I know that the one time that they actually gave her a long sentence (1 year and 145 days but she got out in six months) she didn’t break the law for several months after she got out (which is a record for her, I can assure you). She has been in detox and drug rehab over a dozen times but it doesn’t do anything. She will stay clean for the duration of de-tox but as soon as she gets out she starts up again. When she goes to rehab she just tells then what they want to hear. She has been through their program so many times that she has memorized everything she can say to get them to let her out.
Basically the only thing that has even put a dent in her attitude was jail. She needs to be locked up so she isn’t a nuisance to society (and to her family as well for that matter). I will admit that a large problem with her is our grandmother won’t say no to her. Whenever she needs a place to stay, she goes to our grandmother. Whenever she needs a ride, she goes to our grandmother. When she needs money, or food, or help in any way she goes to our grandmother. Sometimes my grandma will say no to giving her money or rides, but for the most part my sister walks all over her. And we are all helpless to stop it. We are actually in the process of moving my grandma to an apartment so she won’t have room for my sister. Then she has a legitimate excuse to tell her to go away. Oops, here I go rambling on and on about my family and getting off subject.
Back to the subject… contraception is also available to everyone here for free (that can’t afford it) as well, at least in Kansas. The problem is that the contraception offered is condoms and birth control pills, and the drug addicts aren’t responsible enough to use them as they need to be used and they end up pregnant anyway. Or they are too lazy to actually go to the clinic and get it. If they were offered the shot or the implant I think that would help things tremendously. Of course then there would be those who didn’t go back on time, but since they last so much longer than condoms or pills it is less likely they will get pregnant. Or at least they wouldn’t get pregnant but every 3 to 5 years.