Pubdate: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 Source: News & Observer (NC) Copyright: 2002 The News and Observer Publishing Company Contact: http://www.news-observer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/304 Author: ANGELA HEYWOOD BIBLE KEEPING TEEN NOSES CLEAN CHAPEL HILL - Nicole Dube's teenage clients have called her a stalker. A youth case manager for Project Turn Around, she meets with 12 to 15 first-time drug offenders at least twice a week, visits their homes, drives to their schools and checks in with their therapists. She randomly tests their urine and scolds them if need be. "The most frustrating thing for me is to get them to understand that I care," Dube said. "My goal is for them to succeed. I hope the only thing they leave here with is the thought that, 'I'm never going through this again.' " Dube, a slender, spunky woman from Queens, N.Y., is the first full-time youth case manager for drug offenders in Orange and Chatham counties. Now, six months after she took the position at the Chapel Hill Police Department, court officials and the community say the program has been effective. "Project Turn Around is our core program when we're dealing with substance-abuse kids," said Peggy Hamlett, acting chief court counselor in Orange and Chatham counties. "We're coming to depend on them heavily. Nicole does very good work." Project Turn Around is a rehabilitation program for first-time drug offenders that provides an alternative to jail. Adult participants are required to stay in the program from six months to a year. They meet in groups and with case managers and are subject to random drug testing. The program, which began for adults in 1993, is unique in North Carolina because it's the only one of its kind operated within a police department, said Bill Cozart, the program's coordinator. Officers can share information about offenders with their case managers, and the community can see that police are concerned about giving people a second chance. The town of Chapel Hill and Orange and Chatham counties share the more-than-$140,000 cost for the adult program, which supervises about 180 people each year, Cozart said. The state Office of Juvenile Justice and the counties pay $54,443 for the youth program, which serves 12 to 15 teens at any given time. Beginning in July, Chatham County will acquire its own part-time case manager to supervise six to eight youths at a time. Dube's position marks the first time Orange County has provided intensive case management for juveniles, Cozart said. The program is still in the beginning phase, as Dube and her colleagues are working to educate other agencies about their goals and expectations. "For a person to do what we're asking, you need to have a high energy level, a commitment to serve this particular population, and an understanding of the juveniles and their families," Cozart said. "And Nicole has those skills. You can see that she really cares about the clients' doing well. She puts time and effort into each case, and she has high expectations for these juveniles." After teens are referred to Project Turn Around by court and law enforcement officials, they meet with Dube for a brief screening, then get together for a one-hour assessment soon after. The teens -- all charged as juveniles -- are required to meet with Dube and call her weekly for six to eight months or until their probation ends. They have to attend group meetings for 12 weeks and submit to random drug testing. Dube checks up on them at home and at school. About half of Dube's clients have gotten into trouble with marijuana, the other half prescription medications. They have a lot of excuses, such as they didn't know it was illegal to distribute their parents' medications, or marijuana corrects glaucoma -- a claim that studies have cast into doubt - -- or that it is legal in other countries so it ought to be legal here. Dube tells them to save their money so they can move to one of those countries. "They just have a lot of misinformation," Dube said, laughing. "It's futile to argue with an adolescent about pros and cons." Instead, Dube teaches the teens about the down side of drugs. They learn about tar and nicotine, damage to reproductive organs and short-term memory loss. During weekly group meetings, they discuss alcohol, drugs, self-esteem, decision making, peer pressure, relationships and family. Burmadeane George, program facilitator for Phoenix Academy Alternative School, has seen several of her students excel through Project Turn Around. She has noticed a positive change in "every last one of them." The most recent student returned to her home school and is on the honor roll. Project Turn Around succeeds in helping students refocus, George said, because case managers don't try to work in isolation. They coordinate family, school and therapy. "They just make sure the student knows that every facet is integral for him to progress," George said. The program thrives under Dube, a take-charge, upbeat person. "She's down-to-earth with all the kids," George said. "She speaks their language. But she still has an air of professionalism." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens