Drug Treatment Courts As Alternative To Incarceration

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Amstrong

Officials are participating in a workshop on the Implementation of Drug Treatment Courts as an alternative to incarceration for Drug Dependent Offenders.

Director of Public Prosecutions of Antigua and Barbuda, Anthony Armstrong, in his brief remarks, stressed on the importance of pooling all resources together to ensure that the transition is a success.

Armstrong explained that the Drug Treatment Court will be the first of its kind to be established in the Eastern Caribbean. He added the court will assist in treating drug addicts and the sound development of strategies.

He thanked the Attorney General, the Hon. Steadroy Cutie Benjamin and the Ministry of Legal Affair for pledging their full support for the establishment of the unique court which will prove beneficial for the judicial system in Antigua and Barbuda.

Coordinator, Health and Human and Social Development Directorate CARICOM, Beverly Reynolds indicated that the initiative is being implemented under the 10th EDF CARIFORUM Crime and Security Cooperation Program- Support for Drug Demand Reduction Project aimed at strengthening institutional responses while broadening the capabilities of practitioners and professionals engaged in the field of drug demand reduction.

She added that the program would provide structured, consistent, monitored and supported interventions to offenders whose petty crimes are associated with or driven by drug addiction, it would also provide and ethical response to the illness condition.

The working sessions officially begin on Thursday 11th October.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. How efficient is the Traffic Court, industrial Court, family Court, juvenile Court, Magistrate Court, etc good idea brilliant idea but can it be sustained?

  2. I am happy to see that they are looking into another alternative for addicted drugs and alcohol offenders instead of incarceration. We have a lot young men who are normally caught with small portion of drugs in their possession and sent to prison on remanded or sometimes imprisonment because they couldn’t pay the small fine impose on them. Some of these young men/women are fighting demons within them and turn to drugs and alcohol for relief. Since our police force are not trained in mental psychology to spot an addiction, they would impose a charge and take them before the court to be convicted. What happened a lot of our young men go into prison not getting the rehabilitation help needed and then came out after serving their time mess up.

  3. I don’t think there is a traffic, family or juvenile court; there is the industrial, magistrate and high courts.

  4. Drug Treatment Courts ! Is timely but there are other concerns that are milling around us Mental Health Concerns developed from this population and the lack of family support to enable treatment and rehabilitation which speaks to easy access of drugs like THC which has become quite legal in our Society that can open doors to relapse because of the disease of Addiction that is so Powerful!

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