Pubdate: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Author: Kathryn Thier Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) CRIMINAL OFFENDERS TARGETED Iredell Agency Will Use County's Share To Hire Counselors For Youths Iredell County has received part of a state grant to help youth with substance abuse problems who are in trouble with the law break their addictions and criminal habits. The grant means judges and juvenile court counselors now have the option of assigning juveniles offenders to a substance-abuse treatment program developed by the federal government and tailored to juvenile offenders. Research shows that substance-abuse programs designed for specific types of users are more effective, said David Swann, CEO of Crossroads Behavioral Healthcare. Crossroads is the organization that applied for the grant. It's responsible for coordinating public mental health and substance-abuse resources in Iredell, Surry and Yadkin counties. The $208,000 annual grant will be split among those three counties. Iredell will get the equivalent of one full-time and one part-time counselor to coordinate the program and work with the youth. Treatment will be provided through Insight Human Services, a major provider of substance-abuse services in the three counties. The program will start in two to three months and will serve several hundred children, Swann said. Treatment options are already available through more general substance-abuse programs for some juvenile offenders. But this grant is important because it will target youth who need intense substance-abuse treatment and focus on getting them out of the juvenile justice system. The idea behind the program is similar to "drug courts" for adult offenders, Swann said. "If we could just get these kids to break the cycle of their addiction then they probably wouldn't offend because a lot (of criminal activity) is related to acquiring drugs or the use of drugs," Swann said. Swann said he has tried to get such a grant for 10 years. National and local data shows that half of youth involved in the juvenile justice system have substance-abuse problems, he said. Up to 10,000 youth in Iredell, Yadkin and Surry counties have addiction problems, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek