Aruba: Social workplace needed for drug addicts … Like what, the Aruban Hotels?

So the PC crowd in Aruba think that drug addicts of Aruba should not be in prison, but instead in a social work place. Do they wish to main stream them with the tourists? Don’t they have enough bad elements walking around Aruba? One thing is for certain and that is Aruba has a real issue with drug addicts. They are walking a thin line with the chance that a desperate drug addict in search of money to buy drugs may act accordingly against a tourist. If that ever happens with the present climate that exists, Aruba will become a ghost town.

ARUBA – Prison term is not the solution for the problem of drug addicts. It will be better for the society if the drug addicts can get out of this vicious circle by means of a structural approach. A social workplace would be a solution, said lawyer Jacobo Petrocthi in his defence of a client that is addicted to drugs.

What is more astounding than the ridiculous suggestions of how Aruba is going to deal with their overpopulation of drug addicts is the criminal records of the drug addicts. Wow, even they seem to get a pass on Aruba. The addict didn’t say how he gets money? How does one think he does?

The 48-year old suspect, Theodore Noel Lamper appeared to be a cocaine addict for 30 years. He had no income. Still, his criminal record only showed one offense for which he received a conditional punishment. That surprised the judge. “Most of the drug addicts that appear in court have committed many robberies and other offenses, because they need money to buy drugs. Where did you get all that money through the years? From welfare?” Lamper said that he cannot get welfare and that he earns his money in a different way. He didn’t want to say how.

Read the full story from Amigoe (8/30/06): Social workplace needed for drug addicts < ?xml:namespace prefix ="" o />

ARUBA – Prison term is not the solution for the problem of drug addicts. It will be better for the society if the drug addicts can get out of this vicious circle by means of a structural approach. A social workplace would be a solution, said lawyer Jacobo Petrocthi in his defence of a client that is addicted to drugs.

The 48-year old suspect, Theodore Noel Lamper appeared to be a cocaine addict for 30 years. He had no income. Still, his criminal record only showed one offence for which he received a conditional punishment. That surprised the judge. “Most of the drug addicts that appear in court have committed many robberies and other offences, because they need money to buy drugs. Where did you get all that money through the years? From welfare?” Lamper said that he cannot get welfare and that he earns his money in a different way. He didn’t want to say how. He indicated though that he is a permanent visitor of Hotel Central. That’s how he gets his food and drinks. Lawyer Petrochi explained that in order to become eligible for welfare, people have to have a permanent address.

Lamper was in court, because he had stolen a streetlamp at a construction company. He did that because he was hungry. When he saw the lamp, he pulled it from the wall, which triggered the alarm. The police was very fast and arrested him.

Lamper said that he had tried to stop using drugs earlier. A few years ago, he was admitted in the Centro Colorado and left when he was clean, and yet he became a drug addict again. He wants the judge to send him back to Centro Colorado. He wants to kick the habit again.

The district attorney thought it was remarkable that Lamper committed robbery again 10 days after he was convicted conditional punishment on April 4^th. He demanded six weeks imprisonment.

Petrochi was unhappy with the demand of the Public Prosecutor. “The government has to help drug addicts to get out of their vicious circle. The effect of helping them by sending them to prison will only be that they get fed during that time. They will probably kick the habit, but most of the time they will contract the drug habit again. That’s when the vicious circle starts again.” The lawyer wants the government to look for other possibilities to help drug addicts. “A social workplace where these people can go to would help. Let them work there for a trifle. That would help the society and also these people.”

The judge sentenced Lamper to six weeks imprisonment, of which 32 days conditional. He also needs to speak to an employee of Centro Colorado and inform the OM about it. “In order to really get help, you need to seize the opportunity yourself.”