JUVENILE DRUG COURT IN THE WORKS IN MADISON, CLARK COUNTIES

RICHMOND - Madison and Clark counties, which together have the state's
highest rate of drug-related juvenile offenses, are creating a court
to try to solve the problem.

The counties recently received a $450,000 federal grant to set up a
Juvenile Drug Court. District Judge Brandy O. Brown, who has worked
with District Judge Jeffrey Walson to create the court, said she hopes
it is fully running in both counties by January.

There are 11 juvenile drug courts and 16 adult courts in Kentucky,
serving 55 counties. They are becoming popular for treating, rather
than simply punishing, offenders.

And they are cheaper than incarceration. According to the National
Association of Drug Court Professionals, studies have shown that every
dollar invested in a drug court saves $10 in corrections costs.

The new court in Madison and Clark will focus most closely on
juveniles ages 14 to 16. According to court documents, 201 juveniles
committed 253 drug-related offenses in 2002-03. The youngest was 11.

Court officials say the present system is too slow and doesn't provide
enough adult contact to be effective.

Brown will determine who gets admitted. Fewer than three dozen
juveniles a year will be picked for the intensive program, which has
four phases:

. Four weeks of detoxification and orientation.

. Four months of intensive treatment and recovery.

. Three months devoted to relapse prevention, in which the juvenile is
given increasing independence.

. Three months of after-care.

Participants will be required to go to school and hold jobs.

They'll get rewards for good schoolwork and successful drug tests, and
sanctions up to expulsion if they get into trouble.