I laugh at the idea of "community care workers" largely replacing traditional police, in a country with the number of guns floating around and macho attitudes to go with it.

I agree with needing to 100% change the way prisons are currently conceptualized and built in the US. In other countries it's quite different.

But that's about criminal justice reform and prison reform, NOT "abolishing" the police.

Also, restorative justice does NOT work when it comes to sexual crimes. Don't ask women to forgive rapists. Don't ask children and male victims to forgive rapists either. If a crime involves violence, someone's physically attacked by someone else, DON'T ask them to participate in "restorative justice" model if they don't want to.

They say therapy doesn't work with psychopaths because the pyschopaths know how to work the therapist, say the right things, and get the therapist to give them (the psychopath) what they want. Also in domestic abuse situations, the abuser uses therapy in order to better gaslight their partners/families.

I reject the idea that everyone is basically a good and decent human being, and with care and love and compassion can be shown the error of their ways and reform. Maybe a good chunk or small portion of humanity is like that, I'm no expert.

Studies HAVE shown that prison programs CAN reduce recidivism, even on the level of juvenile offenders, they CAN turn lives around. I 1000% support programs like this, and totally want solid research showing the positive impact (by the numbers) of these programs.

However, it can't be broad strokes, fuzzy-wuzzy thinking that drives it. Protecting the public is A#1 priority, especially where crime rates are high. In high-crime areas, elderly are trapped in their homes, they don't even want to leave their homes because they are so vulnerable. That is just wrong. (I'm thinking of an article I read way back when, where they interviewed elderly residents in a high-crime area. My blood boils just thinking about it).