DRUG COURT FOR JUVENILES EXPECTED NEXT YEAR

If the details of juvenile crime and drug use were public knowledge, many
people would be shocked at the frequency of the problem and youths' access
to an array of substances, says Carmen Fleming, Daviess County court
designated worker.

Tobacco, alcohol and marijuana are the top choices among many middle and
high school students, but they also use other substances including
prescription drugs such as Ritalin, Xanax, Lortab and Darvicet, Fleming
said Wednesday.

Fleming expects that situation to be helped early next year when Daviess
County Juvenile Drug Court begins.

The juvenile drug court is expected to be operating by February. Five
judicial circuits in Kentucky offer the alternative sentencing program,
which combines strict supervision with monitoring, counseling and family
involvement for youths ages 13 to 17. The teens are charged with a
nonviolent offense related to tobacco, drugs or alcohol.

"Once we get this going it's going to be one of the best programs Daviess
County has ever had," Fleming said. "It's a very wide lens. It looks at a
lot of different issues."

Those juvenile offenders require a more comprehensive approach than many
common crimes associated with youths such as shoplifting or vandalism, she
said.

The program would be loosely based on the successful adult drug court,
which offers select adult offenders treatment, strict monitoring and
mandatory employment instead of jail time.

The juvenile drug court will require teen-aged offenders to undergo a
minimum nine-month program that will involve mentoring and intense
supervision and will include a 12-week support group for parents, Fleming said.

After offenders complete the program, drug court workers will check on them
periodically.

The group attended its first of three training conferences last weekend.
The final conference will be in October. Following the training the group
will apply for a $500,000 grant to pay for the program for three years.

The team of 10 people working out details of the program involves a wide
range of professional experience and includes Joe Castlen, a Daviess
District Court judge; Harold Richardson, who is a drug and alcohol
counselor at the Addiction Unit at Owensboro Mercy Health System and Lora
McCarty, who brings experience as the coordinator of the Daviess County
Drug Court.

The team includes representatives from the Department of Public Advocacy,
Daviess County attorney's office and schools.

The participants of the program would include youths who are facing
criminal charges such as drug possession or trafficking, alcohol
intoxication, drunken driving or possession of tobacco.

Teens in the juvenile court system come from every neighborhood in the
community, including West Fifth Street and The Summit, Fleming said.

Organizers are challenged with finding volunteers willing to serve as
long-term mentors for the youths in the program, Fleming said. Being a
mentor will involve spending at least one day each week with the teen and
being dedicated to the program and the child.

Juvenile court cases are protected for confidentiality reasons, but the
details of typical court cases would surprise many in the community, she said.

"You would be surprised at the number of middle-school kids we get who are
distributing in schools," Fleming said.

Drug distribution among youths involves the staple drug marijuana and
frequently involves prescription pills they steal from a parent. Many teens
on medications such as Ritalin will sell the pills to other classmates who
may snort it.

The benefits of juvenile drug court will be experienced by the entire
family, OMHS' Richardson said.

Many times the entire family spends time in court awaiting the outcome of a
charge, he said. While one child is directly affected by the problem,
consequences can exist for each family member and parent, he said.

Richardson praised Joe Castlen's efforts to start the juvenile drug court
and thanked Daviess Circuit Judge Tom Castlen, who oversees the adult drug
court.

"The Castlens are extremely interested in this problem and they're doing a
super job on it," Richardson said.

The judicial circuits that offer the juvenile drug court are Jefferson,
Whitley, Christian and Campbell county circuits and the shared Lincoln,
Rockcastle and Pulaski county circuit, according to Melinda Wheeler, deputy
director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Thirteen judicial circuits, including Daviess County, are among those
exploring pilot programs, she said.