Criminal record? These are the options for children bust with drugs

Almost half of children arrested for the use or possession of drugs are benefitting from diversion programmes.

The Central Drug Authority (CDA) told the Select Committee on Social Services last week that children as young as 12 and 13 had been arrested for use or possession of drugs in the last financial year.

The figures relate to the CDA’s most recent annual report and the outcomes of their National Drug Master Plan (NDMP).

Drug demand reduction

The NDMP is a policy targeting communities and substance users of all ages through social awareness campaigns and rehabilitation programmes.  

Covering the 2023/24 financial year, the report stated that cannabis was the most widely used drug across all provinces.

Stats relating to other drugs showed methamphatmines were mostly consumed in the Western Cape, while cocaine was most prevalent in Gauteng’s urban areas.

Each province has a CDA drug action committee and the Department of Social Development agency detailed the provincial numbers on drug demand reduction programmes.

Standout provincial figures show the Western Cape treated 14 800 people for substance abuse over a 12-month period.

KwaZulu-Natal had a very active committee, recording 211 000 individuals engaged with, while 1 097 and 764 people sought help with substance use disorders in the Northern Cape and Free State, respectively.

“Each department contributed according to its mandate with significant progress made in the implementation of the goals of the NDMP,” stated the CDA.

Focus on the youth

The CDA stated that drug and alcohol habits were formed early and encouraged youth involvement wherever possible.

Limpopo chose to use sport to reduce drug harm, with almost 30 000 children having participated in district and provincial school sports tournaments.

Likewise, Mpumalanga reached 140 000 individuals while setting up 1 649 school safety committees.

Despite the national efforts, the CDA stated that 223 children aged 17 and under had been arrested for drug-related crimes.

Although teens aged 16 and 17 made up the bulk of the arrests, 15 children aged 14 and under were arrested on drug charges, while 32 15-year-olds found themselves in trouble with the law.

Diversion programmes

The parliamentary committee heard that diversion programmes offered through the courts were a preferable pathway to assisting wayward teens.

Of the 223 children arrested for drug-related crimes in the last financial year, 110 benefitted from diversion programmes, while 87 were referred to the child justice court.

The remainder resulted in five warrants of arrests, 14 withdrawn cases, 10 struck from the roll and two being closed due to the suspect being an adult.  

Wayne van Onselen founded Unchain Our Children in 2016, a non-profit organisation assisting children whether they are the victims or perpetrators or crime.

He explained that diversions were adjusted based on the child’s needs and could entail rehabilitation or partaking in outpatient therapy, as well as other lessons, projects and programmes.

“The court will determine that a child must go through a specific programme which is designed to help that specific problem with that child,” Van Onselen told The Citizen.

“They must participate and they must be present and once they have completed that, there must be a report completed by their social worker or the person dealing with that specific child which will accompany the docket to court,” he explained.

Gender gap closing

Diversion programmes are available for most crimes and Van Onselen explained that should the child not actively participate in the programme, they risk receiving a criminal record.

“It is very successful but it all depends on the person taking part — what is their willingness to participate in the chance they have been given to expunge their record,” he said.

Van Onselen stressed that enrolling children in corrective courses had a higher success rate if the child was younger.

Unchain Our Children also fight human trafficking, with Van Onselen stating that drug use opens children up to becoming victims of adult predators.  

Van Onselen said that both girls and boys were displaying poor behaviour in equal measure, adding that affluence made little difference as that simply determined the quality or expense of the drugs used.

He advised parents to be more hands on, know who their children’s friends were and what was on their phones as those were gateways to harm and danger.

Cannabis and alcohol use rife

The CDA stated that alcohol consumption remained high and that cannabis use was increasing due to its growing commercialisation.

“Binge-drinking contributes to significant social issues, including gender-based violence, underage drinking, and health complications like foetal alcohol spectrum disorders,” stated the CDA.

“The health risks associated with regular cannabis use, including mental health disorders and cognitive impairments, are significant concerns,” the CDA concluded.

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