SUCCESS STORIES DEFINED DIFFERENTLY IN DRUG COURT

Since its inception in 1999, 82 teenagers have gone through Richmond's
juvenile drug court.

Only 21 have graduated - they stayed in the program for at least five
months, remained clean for 60 consecutive days, stayed out of trouble,
attended school and paid all court costs.

But graduates aren't the only success stories.

The kids learn coping skills that help them deal with tricky situations
without turning to drugs or violence. They make real connections with
people who care about them, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

Also, some parents with substance-abuse problems finally get some help
after seeing their child succeed.

"The families our youth come from are often chaotic, impoverished, living
in high-crime areas, single-parent homes where the adults have had poor
experiences with the systems, including schools, social services and
courts," said Nancy Bacot, the drug court's coordinator. "That is not to
blame the parents. No one wants their child to grow up and be a drug addict
or a criminal."

That Fabian Dixon has gotten a fourth chance at rehabilitating himself is
unusual.

"It's one of the issues we are wrestling with: When do you say when? It's
very easy to do on paper, but it's hard when that child has a face and a
history," Bacot said. "But if we determine we cannot help a kid, they face
original charges."

Actually, drug relapse carries the least weight when evaluating progress,
she said. "We expect them to relapse."

Instead, success is measured by attendance and participation at group and
individual counseling sessions, as well as school performance and
law-abiding behavior.

"These kids have been on the fringes. They're completely disenfranchised,"
she said. "And the immediacy of today outweighs the possible consequences
of tomorrow.

"They live in the moment. Some don't have the capacity or the desire to
change their behavior. We can't create desire for somebody. But we can
reward steps in the right direction."

Edward Gates Sr. is part dad, part cop. He's drug court's behavior monitor,
and he checks in with every boy, every day.

"I'm not necessarily their friend, but I want them to always have someone
to identify with," he said. "I try to emphasize what they do have control
over - their attitude and their actions."

Fabian, he said, is a hard case because "he gives up real quick. I try to
remind him that only he can change his life."