FUTURES IN THE BALANCE

Court leaders search for recourse as funds fall short

Funding shortfalls are threatening the future of the Columbus Juvenile Drug
Court. Without additional funding, the program could close its doors in
August.

As court leaders search for more local funding, city leaders face
ever-tighter budgets.

But Drug Court workers and advocates keep reminding government leaders that
children's futures, not just money, are at stake.

The court

The court diverts non-violent juvenile offenders with drug problems from
Juvenile Court into the treatment-based program where their criminal records
can be cleared. Drug Court helps halt repetitive juvenile delinquency by
dealing with the personal problems and drug use that lead to such behavior
before it becomes habit.

Case managers at Drug Court said they can't help letting their work get
personal. That's part of the job when helping children get off drugs and
families heal.

Moe Cooper and Tiffany Farmer each help about 35 children move from court to
home to school and back. When those kids fail drug tests, miss class or just
need a hand, Cooper and Farmer are there to guide them back toward success.

That means balancing the tough and the tender.

"It gets personal," Cooper said. "Sometimes you don't want your job to get
personal, but sometimes you can't help it."

Juvenile Court Chief Judge Aaron Cohn said Drug Court is a success because
it turns kids around before they lose hope, direction and their futures.

"We talk about children being the future leaders of our country," Cohn said.
"We have to keep that in mind."

Through the end of 2003, the court successfully graduated 62 children.
Another 46 were active in the program, and 32 participants either had
dropped out of the program or were sent back to traditional Juvenile Court
for failing to comply with Drug Court requirements.

People who organize new programs typically must work five to six years
before solidifying a program and running at capacity, Director Carol Scherer
said. Drug Court leaders have accelerated that process.

Scherer said after three and a half years, the program is running near
capacity with 68 children active today and a goal of 30 to 45 graduates
annually from now on.

But without additional funding, the court could close in months.

Costs and comparisons

The court has enough money to continue operating through August, but after
that, the doors will close unless the court finds at least $125,000 per year
to pay its five employees' salaries, Scherer said. The court employs a
part-time director and two part-time secretaries without benefits as well as
two full-time case managers with insurance coverage.

If Drug Court leaders could pay salaries, then small grants and community
support could cover treatment costs, Scherer said.

Drug Court leaders argue that $125,000 per year is a small sum compared to
the cost of incarcerating children at youth detention centers.

The average stay for a child ordered by a juvenile court judge to serve time
in a youth development center is 63 days, Drug Court Judge Warner Kennon
said.

At the Columbus Regional Youth Development Center, it costs $228.63 per day
to house a child -- or $14,403.69 for the average 63-day stay, according to
official figures from 2003. Juvenile probation costs $21.86 per day.

At least half the children diverted through Drug Court would have spent time
in state youth centers if not for the program, Kennon said. With an average
of 70 children in the program, incarceration costs could skyrocket if the
court closed its doors.

The state recently cut funding to such centers, leaving juvenile court
judges with fewer rehabilitation options for youthful offenders, Cohn said.

While the state funds the remaining youth centers, whether children go there
or to a city-funded Drug Court, tax payers ultimately bear the costs, Kennon
said.

But beyond the immediate cost of detaining the children for today's offenses
lie the costs of crimes committed later in their lives.

"Unchecked drug use leads to just one place, and that's death, a wasted
life," Kennon said. "The little bit of money Drug Court costs is just a drop
in the bucket."

Funding, future

Funding woes are keeping program organizers scrounging for money, Scherer
said. Because the city does not have enough money to fully fund the court,
organizers must turn to federal grants. But those grants require matching
funds from the city. The bigger the grant, the more money the city must
commit to the program.

Organizers launched a pilot program in fall 2000 using donated time from
area legal and mental health professionals. Since October 2001, the court
has run using funds from a federal grant given to the city to establish the
program, Scherer said. But that grant was meant to be "seed money," not a
permanent funding source.

Federal agencies that give such grants expect communities to recognize the
value of the new program and take over its funding.

Scherer has been investigating other grants and funding options, she said.
So far she has not made much progress.

Last month City Manager Carmen Cavezza denied Scherer's request to apply for
a federal grant because the grant required the city to commit more than
$100,000 that was not included in the budget. Spending at that level must be
approved by city leaders ranging from Cavezza to Columbus Council, and that
process would have stretched past the grant's application deadline, Cavezza
said.

"They need to work with us so we can plan for the funds. There are times
when the funds just aren't there," Cavezza said. "You can't leave it until
right before the deadline."

As of today, the city has not finalized any financial commitments to the
program for next year.

Cavezza said the court entered a budget request, but the city still is
working to finalize the budget.

Mayor Bob Poydasheff said he believes in the Drug Court's work, but the city
budget limits what financial support the program can receive.

"I think they're doing a good job," Poydasheff said. "But you're talking
about money, and we're scrambling. Unlike the federal government, the city
manager and I can't run a deficit."

The city must fund basic services before it can fund additional programs,
the mayor said. And when city leaders look at budget requests, they must
consider what does the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Funding public safety is a main concern for city leaders today, Poydasheff
said.

However, the mayor said any "reasonable" budget requests from the Drug Court
would be considered so long as they were put into the budget process in a
timely manner.

He would not elaborate on the amount of money the Drug Court could
reasonably request.

Returns

Cooper and Farmer say they cannot understand why the city is not more
willing to offer financial support to the program.

"I just don't know why the city or anyone wouldn't support a program like
ours," Cooper said. "People say kids are the future, but the same people who
say that aren't willing to help the kids."

The children in Drug Court come from across Columbus.

"Some of these kids are the same kids who are in your neighborhood, right
next door," Cooper said.

The case managers stressed how the program helps both children and their
families.

Many parents do not realize their children are using drugs, Farmer said.
Others do not understand how their own behavior, alcoholism or drug use
affects their children. Because Drug Court involves both parents and
children, the program can help families get the group counseling and the
help they need to heal as a whole.

"They look at this program as something they can count on and lean on in any
situation when they need help," Cooper said.

The intense supervision of case managers, judges, attorneys, counselors and
others helps support the children as they change their lives.

"I can really wrap my arms around the whole family and figure out what they
need and how to get them help," Kennon said.

And when the kids graduate, they leave with a new outlook on life.

"They thought there was no hope, but when they got into the program, they
realized there was another path," he said.

The judge stressed that people who have experiences with Drug Court, whether
as participants or observers, recognize the program's value.

"Everybody that knows anything about this loves this," Kennon said. "If
you're standing on the outside just thinking about dollars and cents, you
need to come in and watch a graduation or see a Drug Court session."