Jobs for Dealers.

I recently posted an article calling for criminal records to be abolished in Australia. You can check it out here. It outlines a narrative that some of our forward-thinking politicians could pick up and take to the next election.  I’ve decided to flesh it out.  Behold, the “Jobs for Dealers” program.  A smarter way to fight the war on drugs, where everybody wins.

How about this? Someone gets arrested for dealing drugs. Instead of sending them to court we change the game and offer them a job. Crazy I know. Let's pencil this imaginary program as our "Jobs for Dealers" program. At the time of arrest, police use their discretion and decide if the drug dealer about to be arrested would be better served with a job as opposed to a prison sentence. Police are pretty good at using their discretion to make these kinds of decisions. It's what they are trained to do.

Should the police decide that their potential arrest could be better served with a proper job, how about they call up the "Jobs for Dealer" program, get them in, sit together with the suspect and offer them a place in the program. The conversation would go like this, "hey Dealer Number One, dealing drugs is a pretty shit existence, what do you think about us helping you get a real job?". I have no doubt that this would be an attractive offer to the dealer because dealing drugs is an act of desperation and a lifestyle that nobody intend to live when they start out.

How about we ask them, "Dealer Number One, if you weren't dealing drugs, what would you like to be doing". Say Dealer Number One responds with, "You know what guys, I wanted to be a mechanic before my life fell to shit". Bam.... we have something we can work with to change this person's life.

At this point the "Jobs for Dealer" program kicks in. They jump on the phones and call around to mechanics in Dealer Number One's local area. The offer? "Will you take on a guy who we busted dealing drugs and help turn his life around". The incentive, "we, the "Jobs for Dealers" program will cover his salary in full for 3 years at $100k". This gives the mechanic a free employee for three years and it gives Dealer Number One the opportunity to prove himself, gain proper experience and finally have some self-respect about what he is doing for a crust.

Image source: https://www.jobskills.org/9-reasons-to-consider-a-job-in-the-trades/

Paying Dealer Number One a salary of $100k seems excessive, but think about it, the government is still saving taxpayers $104,035 per year after the $100k is spent.  It costs taxpayers between $107,310 and $204,035 per year to incarcerate someone in Australia. That works out to be a saving of $312,105 per dealer, over three years.  Four dealers successfully completing the program and society has saved over $1Million dollars.  The benefits are unprecedented.  Four people have new lives that they can be proud of, four businesses saved $100,000 per year in staff costs and four dealers are off the streets contributing to society instead of detracting from it.  There are no losers in this situation.

We could implement weekly drug tests. Every Monday Dealer Number One must do a supervised drug test before he comes to work. Three fails in a year and he goes straight to court. Three fails are fair because drug addiction isn't a crime, and neither is partying on the weekends. We need to be realistic about the drug culture in Australia and work with people. Drugs are fun in moderation and most people manage to use them responsibly. The vast majority have used drugs, only the smart ones, the ones without trauma, manage to stay clear of addiction.

The “Jobs for Dealers” program has a plethora of advantages and no real disadvantages.  Why don’t we, as a society help these people rather than locking them up and institutionalizing them? We know that once someone goes to jail, they are more likely to reoffend, we know that a criminal record restricts someone’s ability to find and keep legitimate employment and we all use drugs.  Why don’t we start putting real solutions on the table rather than relying on the justice system.  The justice system fails when it comes to rehabilitation.   The “Jobs for Dealers” program will save society millions of dollars, Australia would be leading the global fight against drug crime, offering a solution that works for everyone.  We could all be proud of this. 

Glenn Hall is a former advertising executive turned freelance communications consultant. Glenn has a fresh perspective on topical issues and a unique way of viewing the world.   With diverse interests, no topic is out of reach and Glenn will be sure to challenge your thinking.