The video below first appeared as a written document called A NEUTRAL APPROACH – REST WITHOUT ARREST. It was featured on the opinion page of the Baltimore Sun for 11/21/05.
This procedure was the first step in my co-founding of the National Drug Court in the 1980s. One can see how it might have been forged by my own institutional experiences.
Imagine a homeless, penniless, dying heroin addict. Wanted by police on a probation warrant, his drug dealers also want him for unpaid bills. Seeking asylum in a neighboring crack house, he calls his probation agent in desperation. What should the agent advise in this less than 5-minute interview?
My opinion is that all 50,000 probation and parole agents across the country should use this procedure. It saves lives, is absolutely legal, and costs nothing. After TAKIN’ BACK THE STREETS hits the streets, I hope they will.