DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
4.5 Discussion on findings
Substance abuse within the prison environment is not accorded the attention that it should receive. This is evident in the importance placed on substance abuse programs, the training of personnel in the rehabilitation of substance abusers, the interaction with community rehabilitation centres and the ease with which drugs are available in the centres.
As was expected from the research, tobacco is used by many as it is sold in the prison while alcohol, which is used widely outside, is more difficult to obtain and therefore is only 6th on the list of daily use. The drugs, excluding tobacco, such as dagga and tik are considered easy to obtain and are used daily by many and this ease of access to these drugs needs to be addressed.
The admission procedure did not identify substance abusers or offer substance abuse programmes to those who wished to attend these programmes or enforce attendance to those who had extreme substance abuse problems.
90
Many would like to attend abuse programmes and be more educated in the effects of drugs. The United Drug Control Programme emphasises the essentials of prevention of which creating awareness and educating people about drugs and their harmful health and social effects are the first two of the main components listed. Primary prevention as stated by Coyne et al. uses two main methods for intervention of which the first is “competency enhancement and wellness which involves education, training and information giving in order to enhance the life- styles of people. The education should be aimed at preventing the initial use of drugs which leads to substance dependence. Many of the youth in the population surveyed had started drug use prior to their incarceration which places the obligation on community based substance abuse programmes to provide education to prevent the initial use of drugs.
Only 3% of the survey population had never used alcohol which means that 97%
of the population had used substances. Excluding the use of alcohol 13% had never used cannabis and 15% had never used tobacco. These are two of the most likely substances to be used and therefore, excluding alcohol, a minimum of 87%
of the population had used substances. The study carried out at the juveniles at the Boksburg Youth Correctional Centre by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation found that 39% of the population surveyed had used drugs/alcohol/mind altering and prohibited substances. The Addiction Research Centre in Correctional Services in Canada found that 70% of all male and female offenders had substance abuse problems. Both these surveys indicate a lower percentage of substance abuse among offenders than that found in the Pollsmoor Youth Centre. This could possibly be explained by research declaring a
“pandemic” of Tik use in the Western Cape together with the high percentage of the offender population being members of gangs. The Boksburg study found that only 15% belonged to gangs but those were twice as likely to use substances as non-gang members. In Pollsmoor it is believed that 75% of offenders belong to gangs. This statistic is in line with the research carried out by the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council) in 1996 on sentenced offenders where it was found that 76% of offenders were engaged in alcohol or drug use during the period of committing the crime for which they were sentenced. Although this survey is aimed at the youth offenders of Pollsmoor Correctional Centre it is possible that the pattern of substance abuse exhibited here reflects the pattern for the rest of the
91
Pollsmoor Correctional Centre. If this should be correct, there is an urgent need for extensive substance abuse programme intervention and education.
There is a lack of activities to keep the offenders busy. A number of those surveyed indicated that there was an element of boredom. Many offenders, who do not attend school or have designated jobs, sit in their cells or in the courtyard all day and have to amuse themselves. As was noted in the intervention programme carried out in which juveniles were taught musical skills in the marimba and djembe ensemble it was found that a focus on learning these skills had a positive effect in offering a diversion away from crime. It assisted with the integration of juveniles into society. Positive skills training could be considered as an intervention in drug use. This skills training would have the added benefit of increasing their ability to find employment on release which in turn would assist in reducing crime and recidivism.
The substance abuse programme conducted by the Centre would appear to discuss and deal with the topics that are outlined in the design of the intervention programme as researched by the Addiction Research for the Canadian Correctional Services. The short comings in the Pollsmoor programme are that it is conducted as a once off programme and not a continuous programme which monitors the offenders‟ rehabilitation from substance abuse throughout their time in prison. There is no peer support which is a prominent feature of the Canadian programme. The system does not identify the offenders who need help for substance abuse on their admission to the centre and begin the programme within a very short time period thereafter. There is no file which documents the offender‟s substance abuse programme progress which could be forwarded to a rehabilitation centre in the offender‟s community on his release in order to prevent the possibility of a relapse. The substance abuse problem is a community problem and the Correctional Centres are part of the community and there should therefore be close co-operation to address the problem.
Although the centre has a zero tolerance policy concerning any illegal substances, the answers to the survey indicate that substances are freely available. The prison officials appear to turn a blind eye to the use of substances such as cannabis and
“tik”. The acquisition and the sale of substances is an industry which is the
92
preserve of the “numbers‟ gangs in the prison. Prison officials are sometimes caught and charged for assisting with the smuggling of drugs into the prison.
These circumstances need to be eradicated in the drive to combat substance abuse.
Yu et al. stated that the environment contributes to the consumption or use of substances. Large consumption by friends or peers led to the greater consumption by others.