It's an opinion anyway.  The only thing keeping Anchorage, our state, the USA, the World safe and civil are laws and the very small amount of men and women willing to enforce them. The judges willing to invoke penalties and the politicians willing to take laws like SB91 back to drawing board. Put these two in prison for 20 years, that will deter others.  As far as your willingness to overlook petty crime, I personally feel  that is a mistake, catch them early, deliver stiff penalties and maybe deter 1 out of 10 from never committing that crime again, second offense, jail. As far as the drug use, an arrest may just wake up or save an addicts life. Call an an ambulance or go to an ER because of an overdose go to jail for 6 months, you can wait in jail while you court date comes around. Then you can try to convince the judge it's your parents fault, your friends forced you to do it, your poor, your rich, you have only done it once, whatever your excuse, that's what it is, pay the price.