Surge in juvenile drug-dealing sparks alarm among youth workers

The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use — which is examining possible alternatives to criminalisation — heard at the weekend about a six-year-old boy dreaming of being like the local drug-dealers in his area when he grows up. File picture

Frontline youth workers are alarmed at the rise in young boys being sucked into the drugs trade after new figures show drug-dealing offences by juveniles have almost doubled in five years.

It comes as the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use — which is examining possible alternatives to criminalisation — heard at the weekend about a six-year-old boy dreaming of being like the local dealers in his area when he grows up.

Delayed publication of figures for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme show:

• Total juvenile offences fell from 19,513 in 2015 to 16,301 in 2020 – down 16%;
• Total juvenile drug offences jumped in the same period, from 1,019 to 1,926 – up 89%;
• Of the drug offences, cases of sale or supply rose from 167 to 382 – up 129% 
• Cases of drug possession for personal use increased from 817 to 1,439 – up 76% 

Juvenile crimes are referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme (YPD) for consideration. They may not be taken onto the programme if they don’t accept responsibility or their crimes are too serious.

Trends show a significant increase in the percentage of juveniles deemed “unsuitable”, with limited other interventions for them. The figures show that 18% of the children were deemed unsuitable in 2020, the highest in the last 10 years and comparing to 14% in 2011.

Ashling Golden, Justice Team Leader with the Solas Project, one of the few initiatives working with this group of juvenile offenders, said: “There continues to be a number of young people who are groomed and targeted by organised drug gangs in disadvantaged communities. Unfortunately, their influence continues to grow to feed the huge appetite for drugs.

“Young people are groomed into this trade under the lure of wealth and glamour and this fuels the often hidden impact that drugs is having on disadvantaged communities.” 

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Ms Golden said the Department of Justice and the Department of Children’s Youth Justice Strategy have recognised the need to target serious juvenile offenders and are funding specialised staff for diversion projects to run initiatives similar to Solas Project’s Rua Programme.

“Rua shows this group of young people can be engaged and supported through a process of desistance that allows them to turn away from a life of serious offending,” she said. She said that, in its first two years, Rua has successfully changed the trajectory of 50% of the young people.

Eddie D'Arcy, who recently retired after 40 years working in the area, said the growing percentage of juveniles being deemed unsuitable for the YDP would indicate more offences, more frequent offending and more serious offences.

“There is a need to target that 18% of children,” he said. He noted the Department of Justice’s funding for more serious offenders, but said one issue was getting “suitable and trained staff”.

A founder of Youth Workers Against Prohibition, Mr D'Arcy said it was time the State examined and considered the legalisation of drugs, saying it would take the trade away from criminal gangs and stop children in disadvantaged areas being sucked into it.