Baltimore Police Taking A New Approach On Victimless Crimes

In looking to try and reduce unnecessary incarceration, authorities in Baltimore say that they are newly going to designate “crimes” like prostitution and drug-related offenses to the jurisdiction of support services rather than jail time. The Baltimore Police Department is taking part in the three-year program and it's been developed in partnership with organizations like LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion).

Looking To Help Rather Than Punish

Baltimore Police Commissioner, Kevin Davis, recently stated that they were looking to find new methods of trying to cut back on their incarceration rates in a supposed attempt to not jail unnecessarily. They want to find different ways of dealing with folks who might be suffering with a mental illness, addiction, or some other social/personal/psychological issue. Davis says that too often, the city quickly moves to punish those suffering from an addiction, rather than looking to help them.

Under the new program, those who are suspected of low-level drug offenses or prostitution, will be able to call case managers rather than receiving criminal charges. Those case managers will be under the supervision of Behavioral Health System Baltimore and they'll include services like mental health treatment, housing aid, drug treatment, and more.

It's expected that the program might be able to serve up to 60 people at a time and it will be publicly and privately funded.

This current program is modeled after another one which was launched in Seattle, Washington, which also seeks to reform and assist individuals rather than punish. The program there was associated with a significant reduction in recidivism rates with participants of the program.

Thousands of individuals in Baltimore alone are routinely locked-up on low-level drug offenses and if this program is successful it could not only change the city but really help in going toward changing the lives of individuals and families impacted by the ongoing drug war.

Sources:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-drug-diversion-program-20170206-story.html
http://www.abc2news.com/news/crime-checker/baltimore-city-crime/baltimore-city-police-aim-to-keep-low-level-drug-offenders-out-of-jail