Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN) Contact: Website: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/ Pubdate: 31 Mar 1998 Author: Susan Gaertner, guest columnist - Ramsey County Attorney JUVENILE DRUG COURTS MAKING VITAL HEADWAY A popular boy's promising life ends in a tragic automobile accident after a teen-age drinking party. Four teen-agers on drugs vandalize a church and dozens of cars and homes. A star student athlete drives drunk and forfeits her chance to play in the state tournament. We are confronted continually by such troubling evidence of a serious problem in our community and nation -- an alarming incidence of drug and alcohol abuse by our young people. As a prosecutor, I am deeply concerned about this issue. We need to find more effective ways of addressing it. That is why I am excited about a town meeting Wednesday at which community leaders and chemical dependency experts will tackle this troubling topic as part of a broader discussion of addiction. The conversation will center on Bill Moyers' national outreach campaign and PBS series ``Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home,'' which began Sunday and ends tonight. William Cope Moyers, director of public policy at Hazelden, will moderate the Wednesday town meeting at KTCA-TV in St. Paul. One of the episodes in the Moyers series is titled ``The Next Generation'' and focuses on the chemical dependency problems of our children. Statistics on alcohol and drug abuse by teen-agers underscore the magnitude of the problem. Here are just a few examples: Between 1993 and 1997, juvenile arrests for drug violations in St. Paul increased 113 percent. Around the country, juvenile arrests for drug violations increased 120 percent between 1992 and 1996. Juvenile arrest rates for alcohol-related crimes in the United States increased 29 percent between 1995 and 1996. Among the graduating class of 1996, 51 percent of students had used an illegal drug by the time they reached their senior year of high school, according to the University of Michigan's national Monitoring the Future Study. That same study said 31 percent of 12th-graders reported being drunk in the past month. In Ramsey County, 17 percent of ninth-graders reported using alcohol at least monthly, according to the 1995 Minnesota Student Survey conducted by the state Children, Families and Learning Department. Nearly 14 percent of ninth-graders reported using marijuana at least once a month. The Ramsey County attorney's office reviewed 335 felony or misdemeanor drug cases involving juveniles in 1997, a 33 percent increase over the previous year. Our juvenile prosecutors reviewed 417 petty misdemeanor drug cases (involving a small amount of marijuana) in 1997, a 53 percent increase over 1996. Cases involving liquor consumption by minors totaled 709, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. As troubling as these numbers are, they do not reflect the terrible human toll of drug and alcohol abuse. That story must be told in terms of lost lives; grieving families and children who suffer from depression; school failure or truancy; family strife; and other signs of risk for chemical dependency. It is easy to be overwhelmed by this problem. At times it seems to defy solutions. I am encouraged, however, by a movement that is sweeping the country. During the past year or two, juvenile drug courts have been established in 17 states, with many more in the planning stage. These jurisdictions have looked to the experiences of adult drug courts to find more effective ways of dealing with the increasing population of young substance abusers. The movement has been encouraged by a federal Drug Court Grant Program. To date, there are no juvenile drug courts in Minnesota. It is time, however, to consider this new approach in Ramsey County. Juvenile drug courts have two primary goals -- to get the young offenders off drugs and alcohol and to reduce their future criminal involvement. Early results have been very positive, with judges reporting a remarkable and sustained turnaround by juveniles who faced the likelihood of escalating drug and alcohol abuse and criminal activity. Observers say this new concept is working because it allows much more aggressive supervision of juvenile offenders than the traditional court process provides. Juvenile drug courts immediately intervene in the lives of children who use drugs or alcohol or who are exposed to substance addiction through their family members. These courts use a variety of strategies, such as: Earlier and more comprehensive intervention by the court. Greater focus on the juvenile's family throughout the process. Greater coordination among the court, the treatment community, the school system, community agencies, faith communities, businesses and other organizations. More active and continuous judicial supervision of the juvenile's case and treatment. Increased and immediate consequences for juveniles who do not comply with the treatment program, and incentives for those who do. I am particularly hopeful that a juvenile drug court in Ramsey County would help us address the problem of underage drinking. This situation has reached distressing proportions, and the old approaches clearly are not working. As we seek new solutions,the ``Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home'' series and our related town meeting offer an excellent springboard. Let's watch and act.