RANKIN COUNTY YOUTH COURT ADDING DRUG PROGRAMS

BRANDON -- As the school year opens, educators anticipate teens waiting
outside their offices to be disciplined for misbehavior.

But the youths won't be waiting for their school's principal. They'll be
waiting to stand before Rankin County Youth Court Judge Thomas Broome.

Summer is over, and the county's Juvenile Justice Center is bustling,
readying itself for the busy season.

"Kids are being monitored more by teachers during the school year," said
Paul Bowen, Youth Court administrator. "The school district is in a
position to make referrals to the Youth Court."

Broome said the Youth Court sees a steady decline in cases in the summer,
hearing between 70 and 85 cases each month. In August and September, he
said the number jumps to more than 100.

Rankin County Youth Court hears cases on delinquency, which include drug
use and drug-related activities, children in need of supervision, and abuse
and neglect.

Two new programs are expected to keep the doors to Broome's courtroom
swinging. The Rankin County and Pearl districts are implementing random
monthly drug tests, and Broome hopes to begin a youth drug court program
later in the fall.

Broome said teens with working parents have very little supervision in the
summer. They may have no one that can identify behavioral problems, such as
violence or drug abuse.

When school starts, however, and some structure is restored in the child's
life, problems are more visible, Broome said.

In 2003, there were about 33,000 people below 18 living in Rankin County.
The Rankin County district anticipates enrollment of more than 16,550.
Nearly 4,000 students attend Pearl public schools.

Broome said drugs are the biggest problem facing the county's youth. Of the
nearly 1,100 youths in the county's Juvenile Detention Center in 2004, 580
had drug- and alcohol-related incidents, he said.

The Rankin County district reported 16 drug-related incidents during the
2004-05 school year, said Marisa Oliveri, district spokeswoman. Figures for
the Pearl district were not available, although the district's drug policy
states that drug use among Pearl's students is small.

Policies in both districts call for random drug testing of students
involved in extracurricular activities in grades seven through 12.