YOUNG OFFENDERS OFTEN FOUND AFFECTED BY CANNABIS

A number of children at a special school for young offenders have been
repeatedly found under the influence of cannabis, the Department of
Education has confirmed.

Staff at Trinity House special school in Lusk, Co Dublin, have found
several residents "stoned" on cannabis on a number of occasions in the past
month, a Department of Education spokesman said.

"The school has encountered the intermittent use of cannabis during the
past few weeks but the problem has been addressed," he said. "All parents
who have children at the school have been informed and the children that
were involved in bringing the drugs into the school have been confronted.
Their privileges have been taken away from them."

Trinity House is one of five schools in the State providing residential
care, education and rehabilitation to children who have been committed
there by the courts. The schools are run by the Department of Education and
can accommodate children up to the age of 16. Trinity House is an all-boys
centre.

One parent whose 14-year-old son was committed to Trinity House for car
theft said he was not happy with the Department's assurances that there
would be no more drugs in the school.

"It doesn't make me rest easy at all. I am very worried. At the end of the
day, if Judge Kelly is sending kids to the school and the social workers
are saying it's suitable, well it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out
that there's something wrong somewhere," he said.

It is understood that the gardai were not called in to investigate how the
drugs were brought into the school, though it has been suggested that one
or more of the boys was getting drugs while attending court.

Children convicted of offences can be committed to special schools for
between one and four years. They may be held on remand only or remanded for
assessment. Assessment periods, according to the Department, last from days
to weeks.

There are 185 special school places in the State - 15 for girls and 170 for
boys.