A couple of local pastors are asking for the community’s help in building a Safe Haven Center in Selma.

The center would be for probation violators and drug offenders – a group organizers believe “can be successfully acclimated into general society if they were taught and/or trained with crucial life skills.”

One of the pastors said drug offenders make up 33 percent of inmates currently being held in the Dallas County Jail. It would take $150,000 to $200,000 to build the Safe Haven Center, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

There is little doubt that drugs are the No. 1 problem related to crime. It’s also no secret that our current system of incarcerating inmates is not working in terms of rehabilitation. It’s time for someone to step up to the plate and try something different.

If the idea of helping a drug addict doesn’t appeal to you, what about reducing crime?