Pubdate: Wed, 06 Sep 2006
Source: Hattiesburg American (MS)
Copyright: 2006 Hattiesburg American
Contact: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1646
Author: Rachel Leifer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

FORREST CO. GETS YOUTH DRUG COURT

Young drug offenders will have new resources to overcome abuse 
problems and avoid further contact with the justice system with the 
advent of a Forrest County Youth Drug Court.

Youth Court Judge Michael McPhail on Tuesday told the Forrest County 
Board of Supervisors the court received a $300,000 grant from 
Hattiesburg's Asbury Foundation.  The grant, distributed over two 
years, will provide seed money for the juvenile drug court that is 
expected to open Jan. 1.

"We try to keep children from further penetrating the justice 
system," McPhail said. "This will help give them resources to stem 
alcohol and drug abuse."

The Forrest County Youth Drug Court would join only a handful of such 
programs in the state. Judges supervising the programs have touted 
their success in keeping young offenders from embarking on the path 
to long-term criminal activity, said State Drug Court Coordinator Joey Craft.

"We're hearing you get the most bang for the buck when you're dealing 
with juveniles," Craft said. "Better to deal with them when they're 
abusers rather than addicts."

Youth Drug Courts are operating in Adams, Madison and DeSoto 
counties, and others are planned for Rankin, Leflore and Pike 
counties, Craft said.

Young offenders with substance abuse problems currently face 
probation and periodic drug tests, Youth Court prosecutor Pamela 
Castle said. But the Youth Drug Court will provide more intensive 
supervision and treatment.

"A child on probation is monitored, but this will increase that 
monitoring and step up (an offender's) accountability before the 
bench," she said.

McPhail and Castle said they hope the Youth Drug Court will start 
with a case capacity of about 40 participants, and could eventually 
grow to as many as 100. The Asbury Foundation grant allows the court 
to hire a coordinator, after which state funds can be sought as the 
program grows.

Youth Drug Court is designed to encourage family involvement in 
children's lives and offer troubled kids opportunities for positive 
reinforcement when they make progress while enforcing sanctions for 
their setbacks.

"Unlike the adult system, a lot of kids find themselves in certain 
situations because their parents need assistance," Castle said. 
Counselors and court personnel will be able to provide adult family 
members with tools and advice to better supervise and discipline 
their children.

Participants are expected to receive individual, group and family 
counseling and small incentives like movie tickets, snacks and family 
portraits for staying clean.

"You have to reward them and acknowledge their progress," McPhail 
said. "With kids, the spotlight effect is a big thing - they want to 
be recognized and to stand out, and it may be that so far they have 
stood out for all the wrong reasons."

Among the Youth Drug Court's most important contributions could be 
its impact on petty crimes committed by young people in search of 
drug money, McPhail said.

"With these juveniles committing house burglaries, they're not trying 
to be violent - they may just be trying to get the penny jar in your 
house to get money to buy more drugs," he said.

McPhail said he does not like to think of Youth Drug Court as 
furnishing "second chances."

"I call this a court of opportunity," McPhail said.

"A lot of these kids are tired of the way they feel, tired of being 
on the lowest rungs. Some of them are just saying, 'Look at me, pay 
attention to me, ask me questions and show concern about my life.'" 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake