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Prisons Diversions Scheme to rehabilitate drug addicts

by Sarath Malalasekera

The Prisons Diversions Scheme (PDS) was devised to separate persons convicted for drug offenses from other prisoners and to treat them and help them kick the drug habit while they serve their prison sentence. This became necessary as it was found that where young first time drug offenders were sentenced to prison, they got acquainted with hardcore criminals in the prisons. As a result when they completed their prison sentence they left the prisons having learnt more vices. Persons convicted for drug offences were enrolled to the PDS taking into consideration, their age, prison sentence and the past convictions.

This was revealed at a conference held at the office of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, chaired by Chairman NDDCB Prof. Ravindra Feranando. The first PDS, at Navodaya at the Pallekele Open Prison camp was started in 1990. The NDDCB and the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) assisted the scheme. Later, a pilot project of the PDS was started at the Weerawila and Thaldena prisons. The pilot project was successful and five more treatment centres were opened at Pallansena, the Kandy Female Ward, Mahara, Wataraka and Anurdhapura. The NDDCB trained more than one thousand prison officials on treating drug dependent persons in the prison environment at the above mentioned eight prisons during the period 1994 and 2000, Prof. Fernando added.

The Chairman, NDDCB emphasised that the PDS aims at reducing the physical and psychological dependence on drugs within the prison environment. Drug counselling, sports, religious activities, vocational training, developing coping skills of the person and strengthening family relationships were incorporated to the PDS. When the inmates of the programs are released to the PDS, officials of the NDDCB follow up on their progress.

The NDDCB with the assistance of the UNDCP had gifted TV sets, sports goods, sleeping mats, typewriters and stationery items to the PDS. The Drug Abuse Monitoring System (DAMS of the NDDCB has collected data on persons imprisoned for drug offenses in 2001. According to this system, 1509 males and 13 females had enrolled in the Prison Diversion Scheme during the year. Another exclusive Prison Camp for the rehabilitation of persons convicted for drug offenses is to be opened at Boosa, Galle today, June 24, 2002, Prof. Fernando said.

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Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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