After Kandakadu troubles, review underway to fix youth drug addict rehab management
The Government will adopt a new approach to the rehabilitation of drug addicts amid widespread claims that the existing process has failed, considering clashes at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Polonnaruwa between inmates and army staff from time to time.
Justice, Prisons, and Rehabilitation Affairs Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse told the Sunday Times that recommendations from as many as 30 experts were being sought while a committee is due to make recommendations in three weeks.
“What is known as the rehabilitation of drug addicts cannot be done using only a legal process, and it is extremely important to adopt a psychological approach. Experts representing diverse fields, such as criminologists, psychiatrists, doctors, professors, educationists and lawyers, have been appointed. We hope to implement the recommendations very soon,” Mr Rajapakse said.
Also, President’s Counsel U R de Silva has been appointed chairman of the Rehabilitation Council with more powers. The council will draft rules and regulations.
The council is represented by experts from the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, the Ministries of Defence, Justice, Public Security, and Education, the Attorney General’s Department, the Prisons Department, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.
Mr Rajapakse said the Kandakadu Detention Centre at Welikanda in Polonnaruwa is to be shifted because it is not possible to provide facilities for those who work at the centre under difficult conditions.
These discussions have arisen due to incidents of unrest on January 12
and February 4 at Kandakadu, the main rehabilitation camp for youth addicted to drugs.
There are three state-run camps for drug addicts — Kandakadu, Senapura, and Vavuniya. Inmates are sent to these camps under court order. Kandakadu has about 800 young male drug addicts between the ages of 22 and 38. There are 30 women detainees in the Welikada
Prison, and it has been planned to start a centre for women drug addicts in Vavuniya.
In the past several years, during most incidents between detainees at Kandakadu and the management, a large number of detainees escaped. Security forces recaptured them. Some detainees and some security force staff had suffered injuries. These led to questions about the outcomes of rehabilitating drug addicts.
Mr Rajapakse said: “We identified that the reason for incidents during the past few years at the Kandakadu centre was due to certain problems regarding the management. However, what had an impact on the recent incidents were the drug dealers who were arrested during the ‘Yukthiya’ operation being carried out by the Police Department. Since they had drugs in their possession, once they were brought to the camp, the unrest they created among the young people who were being subjected to rehabilitation had an effect regarding these incidents.”
However, Justice Ministry sources who requested anonymity said drug dealers arrested during the Yukthiya operation were sent to Kandakadu with the aim of sabotaging the rehabilitation programme either with the assistance of the police or by misleading the police.
Rehabilitation Commissioner Major General Dharshana Hettiarachchi told the Sunday Times there were no clashes at Senapura and Vavuniya.
“Detainees at those camps are more mature. There are young people in Kandakadu. They have been punished by court for crimes such as murder, rape, theft, thuggery, and robberies, in addition to drugs. They are not into meditation. The top people in the country question why there are always problems in Kandakadu. All of them should realise that these people have been addicted to drugs and their minds have been distorted,” he said.
The commissioner said that when addicts living in the camp experienced a ‘withdrawal syndrome’, they behaved aggressively. Some try to harm themselves.
“They react extremely violently to very minor matters. It is difficult to control them. However, we work with them patiently, since they have distorted minds,” he said.
The most serious allegation against the Kandakadu Detention Centre is that its protection has been handed over to the army. During a clash on June 29, 2022, a young man died, and two army soldiers in charge of security were taken into custody.
Justice Ministry sources said that it has been decided to remove the army from providing security.
According to these sources, civil officers will replace the 80 army staff at Kandakadu.
Inmates remain in camps for six months, and during the first four months, they are weaned away from their mental and physical addictions to drugs. Treatment is prepared by the National Drug Control and Prevention Board. Then, during the next two months, they are provided with vocational training aimed at getting a job.
Rehabilitation Council head, Mr De Silva, said those who leave after rehabilitation should be found employment overseas. This is because, after rehabilitation, if they return home, there is a strong possibility that they will go back to associating with the usual social groups and become addicted to drugs again.
It has been proposed that after six months of vocational training, passports will be prepared so they can be sent overseas as skilled workers through the Ministry of Foreign Employment. However, many institutions do not favour granting a National Vocational Qualification Certificate based on two months’ training, whereas six months are needed, he said.
“We have made arrangements to keep them in training for another four months. The first four months will be for rehabilitation, and the next six months for vocational training.’’
Mr De Silva said he had proposed that the words ‘Kandakadu’ and'rehabilitation’ be removed and, instead, it should be renamed ‘Navodha New Livelihood Centre’ (‘Navodha Nawa Jeewana Madhyasthanaya’).
Mr Rajapakse said drug rehabilitation had not been 100 percent successful in any country, and he hoped it would be possible to achieve at least 50% success.
The rehabilitation of drug addicts cannot be done using only a legal process, and it is extremely important to adopt a psychological approach. Experts representing diverse fields, such as criminologists, psychiatrists, doctors, professors, educationists and lawyers, have been appointed.