12 Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts launched

May 11, 2022 News

The Juvenile Drug Treatment Court in Georgetown

Kaieteur News – Guyana’s Supreme Court of Judicature on Tuesday launched 12 Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts (DTC) countrywide. The main event was held at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, while other courts joined the ceremony virtually.
The launch was attended by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George-Wiltshire, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, other members of the judiciary, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, Head of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), Ann Greene and UNICEF representative, Nicolas Pron.
The courts are situated at Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Whim, Fort Wellington, Leonora, Wales, Vreed-en-Hoop, Sparendaam, Charity, Suddie and Bartica.
The Juvenile DTC is intended for adolescent/juveniles who commit non-violent crimes to support their addiction to drugs. The court was launched with the aim of reforming the juvenile justice system, and reducing social ills, by providing alternatives to young offenders who are drug abusers.
In fact the mission of the DTC is to reduce crime and substance use by adolescents and adults through therapeutic intervention and judicial supervision.
The Supreme Court had stated that the institution is aware that drug addiction has become a societal and public health issue, with many offenders committing minor offences to support their habits.
It was noted in a statement that, through sensitisation and training locally, regionally, and internationally, there is a better approach, other than punitive measures, in treating with persons who have substance abuse disorders.
The drug treatment court is essentially a problem-solving court that addresses the needs of each participant, including his/her drug use and the criminal behaviour associated with it.
Also, participants of the Juvenile DTC 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 October 2018, the first Children’s Court was commissioned to support reform rather than punishment of young offenders under the age of 17. The cases presently before the young offenders’ court include murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, discharging a loaded firearm, and other petty crimes.
The offenders are placed into the custody of the Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia, Georgetown, while their matters are dealt with privately by the courts to protect their identities.
Moreover, in October 2019, the Adult Drug Treatment Court opened its door to adults who commit petty crimes to support their addiction. The pilot project for reforming adult drug offenders, showed that participants who completed the programmes were significantly less likely to be repeat offenders, compared to those sentenced with traditional punishments.

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