To explore the perspectives of professionals on how the Maltese criminal justice system deals with drug offenders

Abstract

Over the past decades attitudes towards drug offenders have evolved, leading to modification in national drug policies and legislation. Based on modern legislation, the criminal justice system has changed its ways of dealing with drug offenders.

Sanctions given to drug offenders vary from one case to other, depending on various factors, ranging from suspended sentences, conditional discharges, community work, probation orders, treatment orders to imprisonment. Through open-ended interviews, this dissertation analyses the narrative of 10 professionals who work with drug offenders, discussing how the criminal justice system deals with drug offenders. Emphasis is placed on imprisonment and treatment orders. Results show that these sanctions can potentially help drug offenders who are addicts to rehabilitate in the long run, however results also imply that there are internal and external characteristics which can influence the success of such rehabilitation processes.