The "Hug-A-Thug" program is an IMPLIED, UNOFFICIAL concept founded in the principles, philosophies, and policies & procedures of liberal minded, soft hearted detention facility administrators. Professional correctional officers feel that those admisitrators APPEAR more concerned with providing criminal offenders with FAR too many more "comforts of home" and personal rights and freedoms than they deserve, as opposed to providing them merely the basic necessary entitlements mandated to them by law.
Vis-a'-Vis, as a result professional correctional officers feel that this mind frame de-values and undermines the rights of the offenders victims' as well as OUR safety both inside and outside the facility.
After victimizing people in society and then asssaulting a jaili staff member, the Hug-a-thug program dictates that the inmate be returned to population without consequence.
Recently coined by cops and cynical criminologists, this is a police tactic where dealers are shown overwhelming evidence against them and given the choice between hard time or reform. In the areas where it's been applied, dealing and violent crimes have dropped by as much as 90%.