Oz we need different solutions, solutions which come from the affected communities themselves.
I volunteered for almost 2 years in the (minor offences only) local court system. I realised a few things after a while:
(a) I took the problems home with me
(b) there is a whole industry attached to it which provides jobs
(c) prisons are already overflowing and therefore judges are unwilling to prosecute minor stuff.
also the support systems aren' really good - many good and willing people, but no real direction or even security of what to do with wrongdoers, their own jobs depending on the ever-changing policies of different governments.
Tau
