DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Judicial reports from the National District now link approximately 70% of all minor crimes — including petty theft, street robbery, and domestic disturbances — to local drug consumption. This staggering statistic has prompted Magistrate Kenya Romero, coordinator of the Instruction Courts, to advocate for a “restorative and therapeutic justice” model during the 2026 Judiciary Conference.

The goal is to move beyond the traditional adversarial system and implement supervised recovery programs for defendants with narcotic dependencies. This approach, inspired by the Puerto Rican model, acknowledges that the current prison system is an expensive “revolving door,” costing the state far more than targeted health interventions that could potentially resolve the thousands of processes currently stalled by minor infractions.