Up Front
Drug Court Welcomed by Counsellors
The Cayman Islands Judiciary is in the processof introducing new legislation to establish a Drug Treatment Court,whose programmes will focus on the rehabilitation of drug abusers,instead of custodial sentencing.
The Drug Court will cater to both new and repeat offenders, willfocus on cocaine and heroin addiction, emphasise a harm reductionapproach and will be closely monitored by the Court, accordingto information from the office of the Chief Justice. It will alsohave community involvement from the inception of its programmesand will work with a system of graduated sanctions and incentivesfor programme participants.
In explaining the rationale for the establishment of the Court,Chief Justice, Hon. Anthony Smellie said: "The first thingto note is that this is going to be a facility to deal with drugabusers, not drug traffickers. When I became Chief Justice, oneof the things that became apparent to me was that our traditionalapproach to sentencing and rehabilitation was flawed," hesaid.
"What we [courts] need is different kind of programme anda different way of dealing with offenders who take drugs."
At the moment two drug rehabilitation centres exist on Grand Cayman-- Canaan Land, which is located in Northside and is privatelyfunded and Caribbean Heaven Treatment Centre, located in Breakers,which is part of the Cayman Islands Health Ministry.
Drug rehabilitation professionals within each institution havenoted that the change in approach from confinement to rehabilitationis a welcome shift in policy.
"It has been along waited. We have had the idea in mind forseveral years. We are delighted because it will get the addictsa chance to go get drug rehabilitation, rather than go back toNorthward," said Ms. Terri Foster, Deputy Director of CaribbeanHeaven Outpatient Services.
"As it stands right now chronic addicts are repeatedly goingto Northward. The Drug Court will afford them the opportunityto get over their habits and now those addicts will not be ableto say that they are not getting the help they need," Ms.Foster added.
Mr. Shawn Knight, Director of Canaan Land also supported the Court'sestablishment. "We are for it. It is one of the things thatwe have been actively lobbying for. I believe this can only helpthe problem."
Mr. Knight explained that once the offenders were out of troublewith police and with courts, they seem to lose their motivationto continue with the process. "This court will give themsome type of outward accountability to help them to think aboutthe consequences right through treatment."
Frank Marshall, Assistant Director at HM Northward Prison saidthat the majority of recidivists are connected with drugs andabout 40% of the Prison's population were directly jailed fordrug charges. "
"What I've seen happening in America and other countrieswith Drug Courts seems to be working. This court directly targetsdrug offenders and I believe this is a good idea. While help isavailable in Northward, the problem is you cannot help someonewho does not want to be helped," Mr. Marshall siad.
Cayman Net News also interviewed two repeated drug offenders,Brian Rankine, a six-time resident at Northward with a 15-yeardrug problem, and Ransdale Rankin, a recidivist, currently atNorthward. Both agreed that the court was right on point.
"I don't believe that prison is the answer. It certainlywas not the answer for me. It just made me harder and wiser,"Ransdale Rankin said.
Brain Rankin said that he had begged for help many times and hadnot received any. "I have cried out many times for help.The judge said my help would come from Northward. I even wrotea letter to the previous Minister of Health [Hon. Anthony Eden]while I was in the police station. The only answer I got backwas Northward," he said.
"The help I received in prison is really no help at all.Help should put the individual in an area that he can help himself.Being in prison is like having your hands tied behind your backand then thrown in the water," he added.
Mr. Rankine, who is 17 months into his sentence has been drugfree for the past 10 months, due to a programme that CaribbeanHeaven has been running at the prison. "I have been throughmany drug programme, I've even done drugs in prison, but I believethe programme that I am in now has really helped me. I believeI know where the core of the problem is. It has taught me moreabout myself. At the end of the day, I don't have anyone to blamebut myself."
Mr. Rankine also said that his lapses occurred because he feltthat society repeatedly rejected him when he had tried going straightand that he had no where to turn when he so desperately neededa hand.
"Going back on the road is very different. As I get out ofprison I will look for a job immediately, but it is very hardto gain employment, because of being in prison. We all have goodin our hearts. I realise that employers just can't accept my wordthat I have changed, by we should be able to provide them withevidence that we had received drug treatment. We should be givena chance," Mr. Rankine added.