Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has set up Special Anti-Drug and Substance Courts across the country to address the growing problem of drug and substance abuse.
JSC Secretary Dr Walter Chikwana said two magistrates and two prosecutors have been assigned to handle drug and substance-related cases. He was speaking on Wednesday at an Anti-Drug and Substance Courts Training Programme in Harare.
Dr Chikwana said the designated magistrates and prosecutors have received specific instructions on how to manage both serious and minor cases.
A total of 44 officers are undergoing the training currently underway at Rainbow Towers Hotel.
“We feel it is necessary to bring together senior magistrates and prosecutors to undergo this training so that they properly and legally deal with the scourge,” he said.
“We have established Anti-Drug and Substance Courts in our courts around the country. We have identified two magistrates and two prosecutors who have been designated to deal with matters of this nature.”
High Court Judges, senior magistrates and senior law officers will deliver presentations covering:
* Sentencing in anti-drugs and substance cases: Key principles and considerations
* Legislative Framework: Identification of anti-drugs and substance offences
* Defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders for a cohesive anti-drugs and substance court framework
* Investigations and trial readiness: common errors and pitfalls
* Unpacking the societal impact of and consequences of drug and substance abuse
* Ethics and Integrity in Anti-Drugs and Substance Courts; Maintaining procedural fairness on expedited proceedings, Ethics case selection and processing, Balancing speed with justice, Handling vulnerable witnesses and accused persons and how to handle exhibits
* Forensic Evidence in drug-related and substance abuse cases: From the crime scene to the courtroom: Proper evidence collection, preservation and presentation, Interpretation and analysis of evidence, Second Opinion: Under what circumstances and by whom
