DRUG PROGRAM'S RAP IS ABOUT SUCCESS

Celebrating the strength of individuals and the power of families, Circuit
Judge Kip Leonard congratulated the first four youths to complete Lane
County's new intensive drug treatment and family counseling program for
juvenile lawbreakers Wednesday.

"It's very easy to talk about somebody's problems," Leonard said. "The
purpose of this program is to find out something about their strengths and
build on their strengths. This program really has created a family,
comprised of the youth, their families and everyone who works here."

The Recovery And Progress Court - RAP Court, as it is called - builds an
individualized treatment regimen for each offender and the offender's
family. The emphasis is on family, education and responsible decision-making.

It is a pilot project that serves up to 25 youths at a time with funding
from a National Institute of Justice grant that runs out at the end of
September.

The graduates each accepted a certificate Wednesday and then fed the
official records of their criminal activities into a paper shredder in
Leonard's courtroom at the John Serbu Youth Campus in Eugene.

One of them, 18-year-old Berry, said he is looking forward to being able to
vote now that his record is clean following nine months in the program.

But even more important, Berry said, he now gets along with his mother,
Kim. Both asked that their full names not be used for this report.

Kim said she had a harsh awakening to how drug abuse turns an otherwise
good kid into one who skips school, sleeps too much, spends all his money
on dope, fights with his mother and threatens to leave home for the streets.

He was arrested for assaulting her, menacing, carrying a concealed knife
and having illegal drugs. Although she cried when she saw him in handcuffs
and shackles, Kim said, she supported his prosecution.

"I knew when I decided to take control of my son's problem that he would
hate me. He didn't talk to me for the first two months. I knew in my heart
he would love me again," Kim said. "Don't ever be afraid to take control of
your child's life because eventually they will be controlling yours and it
destroys a family."

But Kim learned the RAP Court is not just for kids. The counseling programs
taught her how to stop yelling and start listening when issues arise
between her and Berry.

"I learned in order to communicate with Berry. I had to look at it as being
his friend and not so much his mother, even though I had the parental
control," she said. "Yelling doesn't work."

Although her son still has friends who use drugs, Kim said, she believes
he'll resist the peer pressure that lured him into drug use before.

"Now when he sees kids using, he thinks, `What a waste of life,' " she
said. "Now that he's not using, he's much happier. He laughs. He has more
money, more energy."

During Wednesday's hour long ceremony, as the judge and youth counselors
recounted the progress of each graduate, 16-year-old Jeremy Kephart of
Cottage Grove sat in the audience waiting for his own graduation from RAP
Court.

Kephart said he got off track by drinking heavily with friends, destroying
property and getting into fights. Now he is nearing high school graduation
and has a job.

His stepfather, Mark Lewman, said RAP Court has helped get Jeremy back on
track.

"Before, he was running wild. It was hard to control him," Lewman said.
"The program has taught me, more or less, how to communicate with him, how
to be part of his life."

In an address to the graduates, Lane County Commissioner Bobby Green
recalled how he grew up with drug abuse and violence as everyday scenery in
his inner city New Orleans neighborhood.

"I recognized that just because it was there didn't mean I had to be a part
of it," Green said. "I made some mistakes. I'm living proof you can make
it. Hold on to your dreams."

He complimented the graduates for admitting their drug problems and
committing to change. He said the RAP Court is another step toward
fulfilling the county's vision of providing juvenile justice that truly is
a second chance for youths.

"This reassures me we are doing the right thing in Lane County," Green said.

Spurgeon Kennedy, programs manager for the National Institute of Justice,
who attended Wednesday's ceremony, said the RAP Court stands a good chance
of continued funding because it takes on higher-risk juvenile offenders
than many similar programs in other states.

The RAP Court is the only juvenile drug court program in Oregon, although
several are under development.

"It's nice to have something that works," Kennedy said.