The Pattern of Deviation for Children and Youth who Commit Drug Offenses Out of the Criminal Justice System According to the Opinions of the Personnel in the Justice System

Abstract

    This research aimed to study the patterns of deviance of children and youth who commit crimes involving drug cases, to be taken out from the judicial process based on the opinions of the judicial personnel. This qualitative research determined the samples by purposive sampling to select the sixty persons who had experience dealing with children and youth who were involved with drugs. An in-depth interview and content analysis were used to collect the data. The results showed that the deviance of the cases involving children and youths who commit drug-related offenses so that the cases were to be taken out from  the justice system, several issues needed to be emphasized. The important issues include: 1. the investigating officers suggested that evidence gathering process needed  to be done quickly with the use of technology, and the regulations related to the publication of the prosecutor's case needed to be revised; 2. according to the prosecutor’s suggestion, the penalty rate criteria for children and youth was needed to be adjusted.  This is for their behaviors improvement stage, and this process needed cooperation from those children and their guardians; 3. the judges of the Juvenile and Family Court suggested that the pattern of a trial in which the accused confesses their offenses and the investigating officer could immediately verbally prosecute the accused (red card) could be used in this case, while the remedial process will be carried out after the court orders and 4. other support agencies suggested that the evidence gathering support system needed to be developed together with the investigating officers.