If the government is committed to solving violent crime, laws against victimless crimes must be reformed. Leading academics globally maintain that once laws against nonviolent and victimless “criminals” (sex workers and cannabis users, for example) are changed and governments direct judicial and police resources towards violent crimes such as murder, rape, hijacking and robbery, society benefits and even property values increase.
I discovered this seven years ago when I embarked on research after being charged for cannabis possession, which compromised my career as a property valuer. I have since been living as a working-class hero, delivering on a motorcycle.
After seven years I have eventually managed to get my criminal record cleared, and can finally re-enter my profession — with this newly discovered knowledge to share with my countrymen.
K Govender
Pietermaritzburg
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