A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Educationis in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2011. / Substance use is on the increase among the youth in South Africa. Traditional concern about the
youth (as the future of South Africa), and the portrayals in the media of severe drug and alcohol
use among the country‟s youth have contributed to the need for research into this issue. Drugs
and alcohol also have a close link to crime. The aim of this study is to investigate and report the
prevalence of substance use and the need for intervention among male youth offenders at the
Pollsmoor Youth Centre, in the Western Cape Province. The research has attempted to create an
understanding of male youth drug abusers‟ attitudes towards intervention and rehabilitation
programmes and also the Correctional Service‟s role in managing substance abuse. A survey
research methodology using questionnaires has been employed. The data was analysed using
descriptive and inferential statistics. The sample population consisted of the sentenced male
youth offenders at the Pollsmoor Youth Centre. The results of the survey indicated that “Tik”
(methamphetamines or crystal meths) was the most popular substance of choice in this sample.
Tik was 23 % more popular than its nearest rival, cannabis. Tobacco was the most widely used
drug owing to it being legal and obtainable at the Centre‟s shops. The majority of male youth
offenders (74 %) believed that an intervention programme was necessary as part of their
rehabilitation.
The findings indicated that a department or unit needs to be established to handle the increasing
drug abuse problem. The unit should identify substance abusers on admittance and place them on
a rehabilitation programme. If necessary this programme should continue in their community
after release from the correctional centre.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/1088 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Van Zyl, Arthur Leon |
| Contributors | Nzima, D.R. |
| Publisher | University of Zululand |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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