Is Punishment the Only Solution for Drugs... What is the Breakthrough to End the Cycle of Recidivism?

[Financial News]  A policy forum for the introduction of the 'Drug Courts' system will be held on the 16th at 2 PM at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. It is expected to be an opportunity to break the vicious cycle of drug addiction recidivism.
The forum is co-hosted by Financial News and Seo Young-seok, a member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, and organized by the Korea Social Welfare Council (SSN). The Korean Academy of Forensic Sciences will participate as a cooperating institution.
Drug courts refer to a system in which the judiciary intervenes in the entire criminal procedure to monitor the treatment of addiction for drug offenders. The purpose is to prioritize treatment for drug dependence over criminal punishment for drug offenders.
According to the 'Drug Crime White Paper' published by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the number of drug offenders last year was 23,022, more than double the 11,916 in 2015, ten years ago. The recidivism rate is also reported to be 10% higher than general criminal offenses, reaching 34.5%.
At the forum, Kim Han-gyun, president of the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice Policy (senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminology and Justice), will present on the topic 'The Need for the Introduction of Drug Courts as Problem-Solving Courts and Legal Challenges'.
Kim emphasized the need for the introduction of drug courts, stating, "Solving the drug problem as a social issue begins with addressing the individual problems of drug addicts," and "It is necessary to reflect on the problem-solving roles and functions of the courts and judges in the systematic and comprehensive response of the criminal justice system to solve the treatment and rehabilitation issues of drug users and addicts, including youth."
The forum will be chaired by Cho Seong-nam, president of the Korean Academy of Forensic Sciences (director of the Seoul Drug Management Center and former director of the National Forensic Hospital of the Ministry of Justice), and will include participation from Park Kyung-seop, representative lawyer of Law Firm F&L Partners (former head of the Drug and Organized Crime Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), Park Jin-sil, representative lawyer of Law Firm Jin-sil (former member of the Drug Policy Council), Lee Sang-kyu, professor of psychiatry at Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, and Kim Dong-kyu, social affairs reporter at Financial News.




kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-kyu Reporter