Crime Prevention and Juvenile Delinquency: The Cause of High Crime Increase in Papua New Guinea (From Resource Material Series No. 46, P 295-300, 1995, Kunihiro Horiuchi, ed. -- See NCJ- 159652)

• NCJ Number: 159673
• Author(s): J P Onopia
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Japan
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

After describing the geography and demography of Papua New Guinea, this paper describes the economy, judicial system, and police force; the history of drug production and use in Papua New Guinea is discussed, along with patterns of juvenile delinquency and the cause of the crime increase in the country.

Abstract

Regarding the use of or trafficking in hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin, Papua New Guinea has no records. Marijuana is cultivated in the mountains, and the illegal crop is then dried, packed in plastic bags, and transported to small airstrips and flown to the coast. Drug dealers then come in by boat to exchange cash or firearms for the marijuana. A National Drug Squad has been effective in monitoring and undermining several organized drug syndicates. According to the National Narcotics Bureau, in April 1994 police arrested 1,351 juveniles for drug offenses, and only 225 were convicted. The increase in crime among juveniles is due primarily to limited educational, employment, and income opportunities. The government's failure to provide adequate educational facilities and programs for all its citizens has led to a huge gap between the rich and poor of the country. The poor have had to resort to theft, often accompanied by violence, and the cultivation of marijuana in order to survive.