Should we treat (violent) crime as something to be cured rather than punished?

[davidbfpo]

The public health approach to violent crime, whether in Glasgow (Scotland) or Baltimore, Chicago and New York, often prompts admiration and replication. This article is a 'Long Read':https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...eduction-unit?

A couple of "tasters":

More often than not, solutions have been sought in the criminal justice system – through tougher sentencing, or increasing stop-and-search (despite substantial evidence that it is ineffective in reducing crime)....(later) ... police are often part of the problem.

A rather different comment from John Carnochan, the former godfather of Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit, has some uncomfortable messages for politicians and crime fighters hoping to emulate his success.
Link:http://https://www.holyrood.com/arti...john-carnochan

[AdamG]

Ever sit across a table from the loved ones of a murder victim and watch them get the 1,000 yard stare as they stir sugar into their coffee long after it's been absorbed?

[davidbfpo]

An interesting viewpoint on the public health approach to violence - can the much-hyped Glasgow approach work elsewhere, notably in London?
Link:https://members.tortoisemedia.com/20...icking_plaster

This year has seen an increase in public place violence, invariably with knives and with many deaths:

Two-thirds of police forces in England and Wales recently responded to a Freedom of Information request from Channel 4's Dispatches which showed that, in those force areas, the number of teenagers recorded as having killed with a knife had risen from 26 in 2016 to 46 last year. Patient records from hospitals in England show that seven years ago 141 teenagers were admitted after assaults with a sharp implement like a knife. Last year it was almost twice that - with a clear rising trend.

Link:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47443956