Pubdate: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Copyright: 2001 The Sydney Morning Herald Contact: GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001 Fax: 61-(0)2-9282 3492 Website: http://www.smh.com.au/ Forum: http://forums.fairfax.com.au/ Author: Ian Rodgers Note: Headline supplied by newshawk JAIL NO DETERRENT TO HEROIN USE I have recently finished a stint as a Legal Aid solicitor in Fairfield. Until a month ago, all people charged with offences in Cabramatta appeared at Fairfield Court. (They now go to Liverpool.) Cabramatta is a vibrant, culturally rich suburb. And then there's the flip side - the drug scene. Controlling drug-related crime, or eradicating it, is one of the more complex problems facing our community. The approach used now is simply not working and no amount of money spent on policing will change that. Of course, the real challenge is to educate the average bloke who's more interested in a punt at the TAB. At the moment, he thinks that all drug users are scum and should be sent to jail. He probably hasn't heard about the revolving jail door and doesn't know that deterrence is a fiction where heroin users are concerned. He may not know about alternatives to the existing system, approaches that may mean fewer house break-ins and car thefts, resulting in lower insurance premiums and an extra dollar on horse four in the fourth. Parliaments will not implement changes until our punter believes that change is necessary. Ian Rodgers Bondi Beach March 7 - --- MAP posted-by: Beth