GRANTS FOR DRUG COURTS SOUGHT

EL RENO -- Canadian County's two drug courts are hoping to receive a
government grant allowing them to expand services, an official said.
The $400,000 grant would allow the drug courts to hire therapists and
offer treatment for juveniles, along with expand the number of
children seen in the drug court, said Billie Lineam, director of the
Gary Miller Children's Justice Center.

The two courts were started in July 2001 after government grants paid
for a 10-member team -- including judges, an assistant district
attorney and treatment specialists -- to travel to Ohio, Maryland and
Nevada to watch other juvenile drug courts in action and talk with
peers about the way the courts operate.

"We took things we learned and developed our own policy for our own
drug court," she said.

Lineam said there are two courts, one dealing with parents of children
with drug problems and another targeting juveniles whose drug problems
led them to commit crimes. Cases are heard by Canadian County
Associate District Judge Gary Miller.

The drug court is paid for by money from the county court system,
Lineam said. If the two courts receive grants, it would increase the
number of people the court could help.

"Right now, we are paying for services out of county dollars and it is
on a very small scale," she said. "If we could get the grant, we could
open it up and provide many more services to drug court families."

New services could include a therapist specializing in children,
treatment for children who grew up in homes of drug abusers, housing
and drug testing.

"We're limited right now because of the services we can provide," she
said. "We're excited about the possibility of expanding what we do
right now."