PARENTS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS TO YOUTH DRUG ABUSE

VANCLEAVE - Even though only eight people showed up at Monday night's
Vancleave Community-in-Action Team (V-CAT) meeting at the public library,
they were the right eight people.

Guest speaker and Jackson County Youth Court Judge Sharon Sigalas was seated
beside Kathy Best, executive director of the Jackson County Children's
Services Coalition. Behind them sat Vancleave High School Principal Don
Hinton and Larry Maugh, pastor of the local Methodist Church.

The group, organized by a collection of women led by pharmacist Sue Bennett,
first met about a year ago after the alcohol-related death of a local man.
About 200 people showed up initially but interest soon dwindled, according
to Bennett.

V-CAT members say they want to raise awareness of drug and alcohol abuse
among minors, said member Phyllis Rice, and help develop viable solutions to
the problem.

"We want to make people aware that it's here, and our little town isn't safe
anymore," said Bennett.

Parents are busy in modern times, and minors today have more freedom and
mobility than in years past, Best said.

"We did a study of 4,000 students ages 12 to 14 in Jackson County, and found
that almost 50 percent had tried alcohol... And most of it was binge
drinking," she said.

Too often, the problem is not taken seriously enough, Rice said.

"People tend to ignore what's going on, pretend it doesn't exist," she said.

Sigalas, who oversees both delinquency and neglect and abuse cases, listed
many problems attributed to substance abuse, including shoplifting, drug
possession and fighting in schools, home invasions and car thefts.

"The youth of our county, unfortunately, stay busy around here," Sigalas
said.

She urged parents to contact youth court with questions about drug or
substance abuse.

Too often, she said, youth court is considered a joke by kids. But in some
cases, such as assault with injury, Sigalas said, the court has the
authority to detain minors for up to 21 days, a fact that should drive home
to kids the importance of obeying the law. Shame itself, she said, can be a
deterrent.

"When a youth puts on that orange jumpsuit, and has to walk into court in
shackles and ankle chains, they see the hurt on their parents' faces and
that affects them more than anything I could do," Sigalas said.

Group members spoke of organizing a safe, drug-free youth center, monitoring
local judges who deal with drug cases and advocated the institution of
curfews for minors.

Hinton, meanwhile, said the problem was universal, and praised V-CAT for its
proactive approach.

"The community hasn't truly faced the extent of the problem. We tend to wink
and nod at it," said Maugh, a father of six.

Jackson County