While crime is skyrocketing here in Bellingham, and stores are closing, claiming too much shoplifting as the main factor, when you look around the country it's astronomically worse. Just this past week, CVS(1) and Target (2) announced store closures due to crime, joining many others (Walmart, Walgreens, Macys, Best Buy, Bed, Bath & Beyond...)(3) People blame various factors, from defunding the police financially and even morally; DA's not wanting to prosecute "petty" crimes, sometimes even bad crimes; to even a lack of jails and/or mental facilities; well it's time for a quick solution.
And the solution is to put them to work. How's that going to work? People caught committing nonviolent crimes can be given the choice to work off their crime while they continue to live where they dwell and would be picked up or show up at a certain area to be taken to a work area. The work area can consist of removing invasive species like blackberries and aquatic plants, trash, etc from public land and places to even private areas that businesses, homeowners and neighborhoods have applied to get. The fee would be by donation (with min base) and go to pay the guards running the work group. Within an allotted time, people would pay off their crime and maybe have learned a lesson, a trade and maybe even got some encouragement to actually work instead of steal.
They could also be bussed to farms to help pick food or be involved in the recycling process, the possibilities are endless. But how do you deal with people that don't want to work? Those are the ones we would jail, or give them a choice to leave the county. This would also be a good opportunity to have them checked out for mental or drug addiction and offer them help. Nevertheless I've heard that there are prisoners doing work throughout Whatcom county but this would be non prisoners with more freedom. Would it work? I don't know but it's definitely worth a try as we don't have much to lose if it bombs.
(1) https://original.newsbreak.com/@ty-d-1600407/2894823396855-say-goodbye-to-your-local-cvs-900-stores-shutting-down-across-the-nation & https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12561125/cvs-pharmacy-shutting-stores-2024.html
(2) https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/26/target-says-it-will-close-nine-stores-citing-violence-and-theft-.html
(3) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11965589/The-stores-closed-doors-rampant-theft
By Chief Editor Angelo-Lk-Whatcom-Rider-Writer, originally published 9-2023 in another publication.
About The writer: I've lived in Bellingham since Feb 2011 and love the beautiful trees & greenery producing all that oxygen, and of course, the lake, hills and mountains too. I've also been in the lovely Anacortes area for part of that time, going back and forth, since moving here.
Educational/Professional Background: Economics & Political Science Degrees at UCF. Attended Graduate School of Economics at FSU, and have worked for the FL Labor Dept as well as consulted for the FL Labor Dept on behalf of the US Labor Dept. I've been happily working in my own businesses since 1993.