Pubdate: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX) Copyright: 2007 Amarillo Globe-News Contact: http://amarillonet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13 Author: Nancy Ford SPECIAL CRIME CALLS FOR SPECIAL COURTS (Re: Dec. 12 guest column, "Prison not part of solution to drug, alcohol addiction," by Hal Don House.) I agree completely! I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children who are involved in the court system, usually because of parental drug abuse. Children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs are four times more likely to be neglected and three times likelier to be sexually or physically assaulted. When families do not receive proper substance abuse treatment, children are more apt to remain in foster care longer and re-enter once they have returned home. Children of substance-abusing parents are more likely to encounter problems with delinquency, poor school performance, emotional challenges and hyperactivity than peers whose parents do not abuse. But instead of handling addicted parents in the criminal courts, with the possibility of jail time (which does not help their children), many states are turning to family treatment courts or family drug courts. In recent years, dozens of such courts have sprouted across the nation to address the substance-abuse issues that decimate many families. In these courts, parents in recovery can have regular contact with their children while their progress is closely monitored. Rehabilitation for parents is less expensive and more productive than jail or prison time, and allowing children to maintain contact with their parents under closely monitored conditions is less expensive than placing them in overloaded foster care programs. A recent large-scale study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that family treatment courts are more successful than traditional dependence courts in helping substance-abusing parents complete treatment and reunite with their children. NANCY FORD Amarillo - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath