Ministry of Justice Establishes 'Department of Drug Offender Rehabilitation' at Four Correctional Facilities

Drug Offenders in Correctional Facilities Up 137% Since 2020
Intensive Management for Drug Offenders... Treatment and Rehabilitation Continue After Release

Ministry of Justice Building. Provided by the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice has established the Department of Drug Offender Rehabilitation within correctional facilities to prevent repeat offenses among drug-related criminals.

On December 31, the Ministry of Justice announced that it had set up the Department of Drug Offender Rehabilitation at Gwangju Prison, Hwaseong Vocational Training Prison, Busan Prison, and Cheongju Women's Prison. The goal is to focus on managing drug offenders within correctional facilities and to prevent recidivism by operating tailored rehabilitation programs.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of drug offenders in correctional facilities increased from 3,111 in 2020 to 7,384 this year, marking a rise of approximately 137%.

The Department of Drug Offender Rehabilitation will provide customized rehabilitation programs based on the level of addiction among drug offenders, enforce completion orders, offer professional counseling, and connect released inmates to community rehabilitation services, thereby overseeing both treatment and rehabilitation.

In addition, to sustain the effectiveness of rehabilitation such as maintaining abstinence, a one-stop system will be implemented in which inmates are intensively managed in a separate housing unit until their release. To this end, the department will be staffed by experts with relevant qualifications, including PhDs in psychology, clinical psychologists, and addiction psychologists.

Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho stated, "Intensive treatment and rehabilitation for drug offenders within correctional facilities, who are completely isolated from society, will not only reduce social costs but also contribute to ensuring public safety."