Grand National Assembly of Turkey Commission on Substance Abuse: Seize the Assets of Drug Traffickers
Grand National Assembly of Turkey – COŞKUN ERGÜL
The Commission on Substance Abuse Research called for the seizure of assets belonging to individuals accused of drug trafficking , just as is done with public employees, on the grounds that they acquired their assets unlawfully.
The Parliamentary Research Commission on Substance Abuse—established to investigate new forms of addiction and identify the causes of addiction and the measures to be taken—made several recommendations to the Ministry of Justice, which had presented a report to the commission.
It is noted that when a public employee is found to possess disproportionate assets, and if that person has failed to declare them in a timely manner, the state may seize the assets in question on the grounds of unjust enrichment, and that the burden of proof in such cases shifts to the public employee; it was also stated that a similar measure applied to public employees would be appropriate to apply to individuals accused of drug trafficking.
The Commission proposed that “assets confiscated in connection with drug trafficking/smuggling offenses could be used for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, thereby helping to reintegrate into society those harmed by drug traffickers.”
“The scope of mandatory broadcasts should be expanded”
It was emphasized that the scope of the mandatory public service announcements to be published under the relevant law should be expanded to include forms of addiction other than tobacco.
The Commission’s other recommendations are as follows:
– Measures should be taken to prevent offenders who return to their high-risk social environment after release from resuming substance use or committing substance-related crimes.
– It has been noted that self-harming behavior is occasionally observed among convicted offenders and detainees with substance use disorders. It would be appropriate to expand programs aimed at teaching psychosocial life skills that will help reduce such behaviors.
“Let İŞKUR provide information”
– To ensure that inmates scheduled for release from prisons and individuals under probation are made aware of the support services provided by the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and to enable them to benefit from these services, visits by İŞKUR officials to relevant institutions to provide information to inmates and individuals under supervised release should be expanded.
– It has been observed that there is a lack of sufficient scientific research in Turkey that comprehensively addresses the current situation regarding recidivism and updates its findings at regular intervals. Consequently, there is a lack of evidence-based data needed to develop policies that would determine what responsibilities institutions and organizations should assume in preventing recidivism. It is recommended that an “Institute of Criminal Justice” be established to address crime prevention. It would be appropriate for judicial institutions and organizations within the Turkish criminal justice system to take the recommendations of this academic body into account in their work and to establish a scientific database.
– As a solution to the problem of long wait times for test results for individuals subject to supervised release, having laboratories dedicated solely to this process would enable results to be obtained quickly. It should not be forgotten that detecting drugs in bodily fluids and verifying such detections require different equipment, and that centers with these capabilities are costly; however, establishing such centers is crucial to ensuring that individuals can be integrated into the treatment system in a timely manner.
“Let’s expand social integration centers”
– The social integration centers, launched as a pilot program by the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, could be expanded. Efforts should be made to ensure these centers remain true to their primary purpose, operate on a voluntary basis, and are equipped with the necessary programs to encourage children and youth to participate in them.
– For individuals placed on probation due to illegal substance use who have been diagnosed with “substance dependence,” the treatment and follow-up phases are managed by the Ministry of Health. For other probationers—such as users or dealers—who do not require treatment, substance analysis conducted to monitor and track illicit substance use is treated separately from standard medical laboratory practices due to the criminal nature of the case, the fact that the samples are considered forensic evidence, and their use for the purpose of criminal prosecution. For this reason, it would be appropriate for the substance analyses in question to be conducted in forensic toxicology laboratories within the Ministry of Justice and universities.
