Taking the Lead to Rehabilitate, Not Incarcerate in the U.K. and Toronto Decriminalization

From Arfon Jones, North Wales’s police and crime commissioner : “It is not just the decriminalization of drugs but the decriminalization of all minor offences. A new scheme is about to launched by myself here in north Wales where there will be a list of offences that are deemed minor. The custody sergeant in individual stations will decide if those who are arrested for minor offences qualify for ‘Checkpoint Cymru’.

“We will have nine navigators recruited in stations who will do a needs assessment of those arrested. If those who are arrested then sign a contract for 12 months to work with the navigators then they will get help to get away from their criminal behaviour and in the case of those caught with drugs help them on to drug treatment programmes.

“If, after those 12 months they haven’t reoffended then they will not get prosecuted and so will not have a criminal record.”

Toronto is taking the lead from international success of drug decriminalization to stop the black market of lethal opiods and epidemic overdoses. North Wales is another positive model to right our criminal system that does not have a rehabilitation first option. We can win the war on drugs - through support and recovery.