DRUG COURT HELPS YOUTHS STAY CLEAN

Court Targets Teens Whose Behavior Lands Them In Juvenile Court

The 16-year-old boy, sitting between his father and his court-appointed
lawyer, admitted to Drug Court Judge Warner Kennon he had smoked marijuana
again, violating one of the basic rules of Columbus' newest anti-drug program.

His admission explained why his drug screen showed a high level of THC, a
key ingredient in marijuana, but that wasn't all the lab test showed.

"Your screen also tested positive for cocaine," said Case Coordinator Henry
Ellis.

The boy's father shifted in his chair, eyebrows raised, staring at his son,
who stared back with an equally incredulous expression.

"I smoked marijuana, but I ain't smoked no cocaine," the boy told Kennon.

But it's possible he did, Ellis told Kennon. Some drug dealers in Columbus
have been lacing their marijuana with cocaine to give smokers a "better"
high and allow them to boost the price of their weed. Tests have also found
some traces of heroin in results of some teen-agers' drug screens, he said.

Seated against the courtroom wall with four other members of the Drug Court
team, Dr. Steve Granich suggested the boy, who said he was unable to sleep
more than a half-hour unless he smoked, may need medication to help wean
him from the powerful marijuana.

"Getting off of marijuana can sometimes be like getting off of cigarettes,"
said Granich, New Horizons social services coordinator with 13 years'
experience in substance abuse counseling.

Kennon said Columbus' Drug Court was created to try to reach those
teen-agers -- or even pre-teens -- whose behavioral problems land them in
Juvenile Court, where their alcohol, marijuana or drug use is discovered.

The link between delinquent behavior and drug use was especially noticeable
among Columbus' juvenile repeat offenders, he said, but there was no
program in place to effectively reach them.

Columbus Juvenile Court Judge Aaron Cohn, Kennon, juvenile justice workers,
prosecutors, public defenders and mental health experts who have worked
with the court put their heads together, visited other communities' Drug
Court programs, and won a $475,000 federal grant to establish a $600,000
three-year Columbus Drug Court program.

There are now 45 juveniles in the six-month-old program, which takes only
nonviolent offenders with at least one parent who pledges participation in
the Drug Court plan.

It's vital for the parent to participate, including reporting a child's
noncompliance with program rules when away from court supervision. The
program won't work without the parental component, he said.

How It Works

When a juvenile candidate for Drug Court is found -- through law violations
or by being a runaway or ungovernable -- a hearing is held in which the
child and the parent must agree to cooperate. That includes willingness to
be drug tested every two weeks; report to the court for review every two
weeks; attend an outpatient drug counseling program or a nine-month Alchemy
residential program, if necessary; accept electronic monitoring or home
confinement; make progress toward a GED or regular school advancement; and
stay away from drugs and others who use them.

If a juvenile is making progress and has at least two consecutive clean
drug screens, Case Coordinators Henry Ellis and Moe Cooper will find the
youth a job. Many Columbus merchants and employers are cooperating with
Drug Court by hiring the youths.

"We keep him busy, get him a job, try to help him change his peer group --
all part of keeping his mind off of drugs," Kennon said.

"If we can get them dried out and keep them occupied for six to nine
months, it can work," he said. "Then there's a less intrusive program after
graduation from Drug Court."

Before each court session, the Drug Court team goes over each juvenile's
progress since entering the program. The team includes Kennon, Granich,
Ellis, Cooper, Program Director Carol Scherer, Assistant District Attorney
Sam Merritt, Public Defender Andrew Dodgen, Department of Juvenile Justice
worker Mary Quiller, New Horizons substance abuse counselors Debbie Josey
or Grace Davis, and one of several academic tutors participating in the
program.

"By the time he comes in here, I know what's going on with him," Kennon
said. "Whatever needs to be done, I can do it right then."

Because each juvenile and his or her parent has signed a waiver of due
process rights, that includes immediate detention, if necessary.

But detention or a return to Juvenile Court aren't the only alternatives
used in Drug Court.

If a juvenile has made good progress, he's given a round of applause and
congratulated. That may include a token for a free meal at a participating
local restaurant, or free movie passes to a Carmike Cinema.

Lack of progress or misbehavior may bring a loss of privileges, community
service work, an order restricting the youth to his home, an electronic
monitor to guarantee home confinement, or "tracking" -- a procedure in
which a case worker will check "eye to eye" on a juvenile at least five
times a day to ensure he is at home, at school, in counseling or on the job
when he is supposed to be.

Detention and ouster from Drug Court are last resorts.

Program Of Second Chances

Ellis and Cooper, the "foot soldiers" of Drug Court, said that although
they've had 62 kids in the program at one time or another, only two have
been complete failures. Fifteen others left the program due to
circumstances they couldn't control, such as moving from the community.

Ellis knows firsthand the horror stories of kids involved with drugs. His
older brother fell prey to drugs, a lesson the Orlando-born Ellis said
he'll never forget. After growing up in Columbus, Ellis won a football
scholarship to Mississippi State University, then stayed on at the
Starkville, Miss., school as a police officer until MSU assistant football
coach Joe Lee Dunn helped him land the Drug Court job last November.

Cooper, a New York City streets survivor, came here as a Columbus Wardogs
arena football player, then stayed on as a Drug Court case coordinator
because he loves helping youngsters.

"We look at this as a second-chance program," said Cooper. "We give them
avenues to go down, instead of doing drugs -- a positive path in life."

"We put a lot of pressure on the kids. There's not a lot of room for
error," said Ellis. "They have to walk in a straight line in this program."

But don't think it's just a program for poor or minority kids.

"We've got them from all neighborhoods -- rich, poor, black, white,
Hispanic -- all areas," said Ellis.

But no matter where they call home, an alcohol-or drug-addicted juvenile
won't make it through the Drug Court program without a parent who is
willing to do what is necessary to help him succeed, said Ellis.

"If you haven't got the parent, you're definitely not going to have the
kid," he said.

Defense attorney Andrew Dodgen, who volunteered much of his time to help
establish the program, said sometimes the program can be flexible, when
flexibility is required.

One teen-ager who was smoking weed regularly and failing in school wasn't
making much progress with school work even after he showed good results on
drug tests, said Dodgen. When the opportunity came to place him in a job,
the boy discovered he loved doing body work on wrecked automobiles.

"He was doing so good, we said if he would get his GED, he wouldn't have to
go back to school, where he was not succeeding," Dodgen said. "He did, and
he's now happy and employed full time at a job he loves. He's drug free.

"We just listened to him," he said.

The work sometimes has rich rewards, Dodgen said.

"I had a mother come in here a couple of weeks ago who said, 'You've given
me my kid back,' " he said. "That's what it's about."

Staying Focused

A grandmother who is the guardian for her 16-year-old grandson noticed that
he was behaving differently.

"I saw his attitude change," she said. "He wasn't the same person he was."

When the teen-ager got involved in a disorderly conduct incident, she told
investigators she suspected he was on drugs. A drug screen proved her
right, and they both agreed to sign up for Drug Court.

"I can't be around weed and not smoke it," the boy said. "When you're
smoking marijuana, you forget things. It gives you a bad attitude, and
it'll have you doing crazy, crazy stuff."

The Drug Court program has given him a chance to "get my head up" and to
look forward to life, he said.

"It keeps your mind on positive things, staying focused and achieving
things. I've got my grandmother and my girlfriend to help me. I play
basketball, watch TV, read books and I'm going to get a job," he said.

An Overdue Tool

Sam Merritt said his Drug Court role is sometimes almost a reversal of the
traditional prosecutorial position.

"As a prosecutor, I have to retard some knee-jerk responses, such as when a
defendant has a dirty drug screen. We would normally put him in jail,"
Merritt said. "You have to become more part of a team player as a
prosecutor than you do in any other court."

But there's also a reward for that shift in position.

"It's refreshing to see some positive things happening in the courtroom. It
gives a sense of accomplishment," Merritt said.

Kennon said Drug Court is a long overdue tool for helping kids and the
community.

"Drugs are one of the reasons we have this crime problem," Kennon said. "If
we can get a handle on the drugs, I think it'll help us in the community."