LANCASTER TO GET JUVENILE DRUG COURT

Thanks to a $479,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Lancaster
County is about to join a steadily growing number of communities around the
nation that have started drug treatment courts for drug offenders.

Instead of being sent to prison, nonviolent offenders who agree to
participate in the program undergo mandatory treatment, regular drug
testing and intense supervision.

York County recently implemented an adult drug court with a similar startup
grant. Lancaster County's drug court, expected to start in October, will
target juveniles.

As of late last year, more than 700 drug courts were operating in the
United States, with plans to start up about 400 more. Proponents say drug
courts help relieve the criminal court system's deluge of drug-addicted
repeat offenders.

Sandra Burton, who heads up community programs for the Department of
Juvenile Justice in Lancaster, said drug offenders and the community both
benefit from drug courts.

"You're looking at how many kids we're trying to keep out of the system,"
she said. "You're keeping a family together and you're keeping the offender
out of the institutions. There are just so many positives."

Lancaster County's drug court is the result of a two-year collaboration
between several area agencies. The grant is administered by Lancaster
County government, which has a stake in the program's success because of a
$10,000 annual commitment.

To participate, drug offenders must first plead guilty as charged.
Following treatment and successful completion of the program, a judge may
dismiss the charges against the offender.

But if a participant tests positive for drugs or fails to perform in
school, it's back to court.

Juveniles who are sent back to the regular court system face traditional
punishments, including institutional care or treatment.

"The program is so intense, if the person is not working it, they'll go
back to court and be terminated from the program," Burton said.

"I think it's a fair program and a more intense program than they can get
in an institution. Plus, if we can work with the family to correct the
problem, we have a better chance of helping the child and helping the
entire family. The parents are involved in this, also."

Because Lancaster County's drug court will serve juveniles, school
performance will play an important role. "We'll be looking at their grades,
their attendance reports, their behavior," Burton said. "Every case is
going to be individualized."

Cathy Lloyd, treatment director at Counseling Services, said the new drug
court will give Lancaster County the resources it needs to provide
intensive outpatient treatment of drug problems, reducing the need to send
offenders to Columbia for institutionalized treatment.

"This will be something that will be more comprehensive than we've been
able to provide in Lancaster County," Lloyd said. "I think you're going to
see something great happen with it."

Tracking the success of drug courts is tough because most of the programs
are so new. A 1997 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office said some
studies show positive effects on drug offenders, but others showed the
programs had no effect.

In some places, the report said, the presence of a drug court actually
worsened a court's backlog because well-meaning police arrested more
addicts, thinking the drug court could help. Burton was cautious about
predicting the drug court's success.

"You'd love to say 75 percent will be successful, but you just don't know,"
she said.

Lancaster County's program hopes to serve about 50 juveniles a year.

Before drug court can begin, DJJ must hire a coordinator. Counseling
Services will add one full-time and one part-time counselor.

The program's success will be monitored annually by the U.S. Justice
Department.

"We're trying to hire somebody at this point," Burton said. "Then we'll be
working toward holding our first drug court in October."