ILLICIT DRUG AND POLICING CHALLENGES: PUBLIC SAFETY IMPERATIVE

Abstract

The widespread incidence of illicit drug use and trafficking across various populations in society has been recognized as a critical source of threat to public safety. This research therefore investigated illicit drug and policing challenges: public safety imperative. Three specific objectives guided the study. The methods approach adopted for this research are based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines (Shamseer et al. 2015). The researchers noted that it is essential to develop or adopt a literature search strategy that includes keywords directly related to the selected variables being studied. This research adopted a two-step approach in selecting studies to be included. In the first step, the author carefully went over every title and abstract to find papers that might be pertinent. Should the inclusion requirements be met, titles and abstracts were considered for reviewing the full text. In the second step, the author looked closely at every study that showed potential to fit the criteria for inclusion; each study was examined separately and according to the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data extraction technique adopted for the study involved carefully extracting relevant information from the included research. For this study, data extraction was done manually. The information extracted consists of the name(s) of the author (s), the year of publication, the title of the study, population and sample size, the environment where the study was focused on, the tools for data collection and analysis and lastly the results arrived in the study. The findings from the reviewed primary data based on research objective one revealed that substance abuse affects 22.5% of youth in correctional facilities, with men being disproportionately affected. Female youths face health, social, and economic issues, leading to poor academic performance, low attendance, and increased vulnerability to exploitation.  Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended, among others that government should target intervention programs addressing the specific needs of adolescents in correctional facilities, focusing on mental health support, educational opportunities, and social services to reduce the impact of substance abuse effects and improve overall outcomes.