The Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), has used conselling to treat 215 children who are a part of its Child Diversion Programme, which facilitates the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of child offenders required to participate in a treatment programme.

An additional 76 clients are still being treated.

Kayla Sewell Mills, chief technical director in the Ministry of Justice, who spoke on behalf of portfolio minister Delroy Chuck, gave the update at the National Workshop on Early Warning Systems for Drugs yesterday.

She shared that the issue of drug abuse and use in Jamaica is prolific, particularly among the youth who are targeted.

“It is a national issue. Therefore, the urgent need for more robust interventions to eradicate the use of these drugs among Jamaicans should not be lost on any of us. The Ministry of Justice takes seriously the issue of drug abuse and, to this end, has spearheaded the drafting of legislation to combat this issue,” said Sewell Mills.

The Ministry of Justice, in 2020, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the NCDA to offer drug counselling to children referred through the Child Diversion Programme. Through the programme, children who have come in conflict with the law are offered services to enhance their life skills and divert them from the criminal justice system through rehabilitative interventions.