Hawaii proves deterence theory works

In 2004 Hawaii state trial judge Steven Alm decided to try to do
something to stop the revolving prison doors. This article informs
us that in many states, the majority of prison admissions come not
from arrests for new crimes, as you might think, but from probation
and parole violations. Nationwide, roughly two-thirds of parolees fail
to complete parole successfully.

To a large degree when there is a positive drug test or a missed appointment
the probation/parole officer will speak with the violator but not enforce
the rules with immediate jail time. The message that goes out is that
rule compliance is not really important.

Enter Judge Alm. He called a group of sex offenders and another group of
drug offenders to his courtroom and stated quite plainly that any violation
meant immediate arrest and jail time. No ifs, ands, or buts.

While he expected to see some positive results, what actually happened
was nothing short of amazing. Within a 6-month period, violations fell
by 93%. In comparison groups the compliance rate was 14%.

The program is called HOPE which stands for Hawaii's Opportunity Probation
with Enforcement. Take the time to read the entire article and learn how
effective this type of program was in Boston where gang members were the
focus.

The time has come for citizens to demand reforms such as this. Bills are
being introduced in Congress, but we must also see that the state
legislatures get on the band wagon. Unless we contact our legislators and
let them know that this is the type of reform we want to see, nothing will
happen. We can not afford to overcrowd our prisons with violators whose
conduct could, should, and must be changed for their sake and ours.