Pubdate: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/ Copyright: 1999 The Charlotte Observer Author: Lori D. Roberts, Knight Ridder Newspapers DRUG COURT TAKES ON PARENTAL ROLE COLUMBIA, S.C. -- One boy got glasses. A girl saw a doctor. Another boy went to jail for 48 hours. All of them are randomly tested for drugs at least once a week. It's court-style parenting through the Richland County Juvenile Drug Court, a program that's an alternative to jail for nonviolent young offenders whose past includes a fateful mix of alcohol and drugs, irresponsible mischief and family chaos. The Juvenile Drug Court is patterned after a program for adults in both Richland and Lexington counties. The program aims to help nonviolent criminals sober up so they can retire from law-breaking exploits that have become as much a habit as their drug. But the youth drug court -- one of two in South Carolina counting a similar program in Charleston -- is different. Besides being in arms reach of the law, the clients must accept a "wraparound" of services that help them make smart decisions about sobriety, school, work, behavior and family. Their parents also must be involved in group meetings and accompany their children to court; sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month. Last week marked the first anniversary of the program, a project of the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services and the 5th Circuit Solicitor's Office. The program is funded by $140,000 in block grants from the department. Only young people between 12 and 17 years old who are charged with nonviolent, drug-related crimes such as vandalism, simple possession of marijuana, or underage drinking are considered for the program. Potential drug court clients are first identified through the solicitor's office. People are accepted into the program based on their age and offense, as well as parental consent, and an assessment of drug and alcohol use and other problems. Then, instead of facing a traditional trial when they plead guilty, the youths enter an intensive nine-to 12-month program of drug treatment, 12-step programs, family counseling and court appearances. "They're busy with us for four or five days a week, and they're with us for as long as a year," said Katherine Yandle Thornton, the program liaison for the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. "Hopefully it sticks after we're gone." One recent graduates said staying busy has improved his grades and his thinking. "Once my blood got cleared of the drug, I could look at other people and see where they were going wrong," said the teen, accepted into the drug court with weapons and drug charges. "Now, I'm trying to keep strong in my mind that I won't use (marijuana), that there's no reason to use," he said. "Since I stopped, I find better days." So far, about 80 people have been screened for the program and 30 accepted. The program's first phase requires clients to appear in court every Monday for four months. They also have treatment three nights a week. Phase 2 brings bimonthly court dates and biweekly treatment sessions. Clients also either see or talk by phone to a case manager every day. The last phase comes after about nine months. It includes court sessions once a month and treatment once a week. Graduation comes after about a year for those who have done what they were supposed to do. The program also has provided an alternative for Family Court Judge Bruce Williams, who has grown frustrated during three years on the bench because there was no middle ground in sentencing young offenders, only jail or probation. "I've got an option now I didn't have before," said Williams, the judge who oversees the Juvenile Drug Court. "This is that in-between step for when it's not so clear cut." Before court each week Williams meets with a group that includes a public defender, a probation officer with the Department of Juvenile Justice, assistant solicitors and counselors with the Lexington-Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council. During that meeting, each case is discussed to determine how the clients are doing at home and at school or work. Drug test results also are reviewed. Williams uses the information to determine whether sanctions or kudos are in order when court starts. Here's some of what has happened as a result: The group discovered one boy's grades suffered because he couldn't see well in class, a possibility mentioned by one of his teachers during a visit by the boy's case manager. The boy, 16, following Williams' order, now has a new pair of glasses and sits in front of the class. To determine whether a girl in the program was truly ill or falling into a pattern of lying typical of young people with drug problems, Williams sent her to a doctor. The doctor discovered a viral infection and prescribed an antibiotic. When another 16-year-old boy tested positive for a small amount of marijuana, a counselor recommended he be reminded that the program is serious. Williams agreed and sentenced the teen to a weekend in jail. The sentence came after Williams gave the boy a chance to acknowledge his error. "I don't know how it got in my system," the boy told Williams in court last Monday. Other clients have been ordered to buy an alarm clock to get to school on time; be home by 8 p.m.; complete community service projects; rake leaves for extra money; and write a two-page paper answering the question, "Why should you respect authority?" At the same time, Williams has started rounds of applause for offenders who do well, and given movie passes and fast-food coupons to those who do even better. The goal ultimately is to provide discipline and promote responsibility. When they're released from the court, that charge is given back to the parents. "Parents are learning to do some of the same things I'm doing to help them make good parenting decisions," Williams said. `We've seen some major turnarounds," she said. "And it's a tough program. Probation would be easier; not to have to do anything but stay out of trouble. "It's about the toughest thing they can be involved in and that's why it's effective." Drug Court Road isn't always smooth for the young offenders or their parents, who have realized long ago that their child's behavior and drug problems were beyond their control. "It was tearing me and my wife apart," the father of a 16-year-old in Phase 1 of the drug court said. "It is a constant emotional war going records, neither they nor their parents are identified here. Since entering the program in October, his son's behavior has included more respect for authority, no alcohol use -- except one relapse -- and higher grades. The man said he's learned through the drug court program that school grades and attendance are benchmarks parents can use to determine what's going on in their child's life. "We don't have to follow him around," he said. "We can just watch his grades." The drug court program has helped the boys' parents learn to be better parents. His son agreed. "It's about you and the people around you making an impression on you so you change yourself," said the boy, whom Williams sent to jail for a weekend for being expelled from school his second week in the program. "Nobody can teach somebody how to be a good person," he said. That must come from the inside out, the teen said. Rather than do something wrong that he knows he won't get caught doing, "I don't do it anyway," he said. Instead, he said he thinks about the judge, his counselor, his parents. "It kind of sticks in your mind that way," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Rich O'Grady