Most people’s perception of the criminal justice system is centered on punishment and incarceration, but the vast majority of the criminal bureaucracy is focused on probation and the education/treatment/rehabilitation industrial complex.
A huge number of our clients are required to complete classes, treatment and probation supervision in order to satisfy the requirements of the justice system. However, these requirements are almost always preferable to serving time in jail. Jail (or prison) is hugely disruptive to one’s life and can cause loss of employment, loss of social support, loss of relationships, loss of vehicles, and all sorts of other negative repercussions.
Jail is really only beneficial when a person’s life is so out of control that it requires that level of disruption. Jail can be therapeutic if it provides a pause, some stability and an opportunity to reset. These are rare circumstances for our clients and this type of incarceration has no connection to punishment. In fact, when someone is put in jail for a criminal offense, they are often at their greatest time of need for treatment and intervention. Colorado’s recent requirement that jails provide medication for opioid addiction to inmates recognizes that fact.
Everyone who goes to jail eventually gets out of jail – and providing medication, treatment and support to people in jail makes it much more likely that they can succeed upon their release. No matter your circumstances, the justice system holds itself to the ideal that it is helping people.
The attorneys at the Datz Law Firm are here to help minimize the negative aspects of being charged with a crime and maximize your ability to come through the system a better person in a better situation.