Preparations are steaming ahead for the launch of Guyana’s first Adolescent/Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (DTC) which is aimed at rehabilitating drug abusers for their reintegration into society, the Supreme Court of Judicature has said.
In this regard, the Supreme Court in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is conducting a training workshop on the ‘Development of an Adolescent/Juvenile Drug Treatment Court and the Strengthening of the Adult Drug Treatment Court’. The workshop which began on Wednesday ends today.
The Judiciary of Guyana said it is aware that drug addiction has become a societal and public health issue and that many drug addicts commit minor offences to support their habits. Through sensitisation and training locally, regionally, and internationally, the Judiciary noted that it is also aware that the treatment of persons with substance abuse disorders is a better response than punitive measures.
The Judiciary explained that such a response gives persons the opportunity to enter long-term treatment programmes and agree to court supervision. It explained that it has also been found that participants who complete the programmes are significantly less likely to be arrested again, compared to those who are sentenced with traditional punishments.
Problem-solving court
According to the Judiciary, a DTC is essentially a problem-solving court that seeks to address the needs of each participant, including their drug use as well as the criminal behaviour associated with it. It noted that these courts are an important tool in the fight against drug addiction with a focus on the individual to ensure that not only justice is served, but that they receive the support that is necessary to help them become or resume being productive, law-abiding persons.
Meanwhile, 64 participants are undergoing training. They include persons from the magistracy, and justice sector stakeholders/partners from the Office of the
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ministries of Home Affairs, Health, Education, Human Services and Social Security, and Culture, Youth and Sport, the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, the Linden Legal Aid Centre, the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, Phoenix Recovery Project, the Salvation Army and Social Life Issues.
The overall aim of the workshop is to sensitise representatives of these partner agencies about the goals and objectives of the adult and adolescent drug treatment courts and the roles they would be required to play as drug court team members.
Participants will learn about substance use and the effects of different substances, the various stages of adolescent development, assessing risk, needs and resilience of
adolescents in conflict with the law, the need for specialised interventions for adolescents, trauma and its impact on adolescents and related issues such as gender considerations. In addition, participants will identify support systems that are necessary for the success of the courts including family support groups.
The coordinating facilitator of the workshop is Esther Best, Consultant at Institutional Strengthening Unit, Executive Secretariat of the Organisation of American States Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS.CICAD). The other facilitators include Dr. Travis Freeman, Drug Demand Reduction Project Director, and Wayne Hunte, Consultant, Ministry of Health. The date for the launch of the Adolescent/Juvenile DTC will be announced shortly.
CANU’s intervention
Cognisant that the use of illicit drugs is becoming more frequent among school children, CANU’s Head James Singh, earlier this month, revealed that the agency is collaborating with the Education Ministry to tackle this issue. He explained that CANU, the Education Ministry, and other agencies are working to develop a programme that will see officials visiting schools to educate children on the ills of using drugs. While the main target audience will be students, he said the programme will see teachers playing a crucial role in its implementation and effectiveness.
“It’s not only about working with the students but also working with the teachers. They must also be able to see the behavioural patterns of persons. That gives us a better idea if persons are on drugs or something else so we can work with them also,” Singh explained. Moreover, he revealed that the law enforcement agency has been doing a lot of work in communities to stop the use and sale of illegal drugs.
He added: “We’re doing a lot of work in various communities and the aim here is to target persons who are engaged in selling narcotics, regardless of where, whether it is close by a school or even in that community itself. That’s why again I will ask…if you know persons who are engaged in selling narcotics within your community, anywhere, let us know confidentially and we will take the necessary action.”
