Drug courts give Maine teens needed chance for renewal
ANNA MARIE KLEIN-CHRISTIE [Portland Press Herald, April 20, 2008]
Unknown to many, Maine is home to a program whose innovation and teamwork have given adolescents convicted of drug-related crimes an opportunity for a productive and engaged life in the community.
Juvenile drug court is a special court given the responsibility for such juvenile offenders. It operates in the domain of a courtroom and it is made up of advocates for young people, including lawyers, probation officers, treatment providers and a caseworker. Its success has kept Maine kids from facing jail, a lifetime of addiction and, in some cases, death.
This program gives juvenile offenders a chance to take responsibility for their crimes—and, ideally, avoid commitment. Young offenders are required to meet clearly set benchmarks, pass random curfew and drug tests, attend weekly status meetings with a judge and work closely with their case managers and with educators and law enforcement officials.
The six drug courts’ impressive success at reducing criminal behavior and further substance abuse is well documented nationwide.
According to a study prepared for the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, court participants are dramatically less likely to be re-arrested on alcohol-related charges than are members of a peer control group. The study illustrates savings of thousands of dollars in reduced jail time and reduced costs for processing criminal cases, as well as an overall savings in crime reduction.
We also know that drug court participants and graduates are more likely to have a high school education and a job, serving as a long-term resource as an adult work force. All of these benefits are of considerable value to Maine’s economy.
FINDING STABILITY, SELF-ESTEEM
Many kids in this program share what seem to be insurmountable obstacles and deserve admiration.
Unquestionably, there are parents who make a heroic effort to provide a supportive environment at home under challenging circumstances. However, there are also young people in drug court from families that struggle with substance abuse, find it difficult to make ends meet or have family members who are in and out of jail.
There are young people who no longer live with their parents and are housed at a residential facility. In the most extreme cases, these kids may have lost family members to overdose.
As program case managers and frequent treatment provider for the courts in Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Lewiston, Portland and West Bath, Day One sees the benefits to the young people on an individual level. The investment of time and energy in their well-being increases their self-esteem. They are required to attend and succeed in school, adhere to rules and respect authority—then are rewarded for small successes.
Part of the program’s success is due to its appreciation of codes of ethics that many kids have developed for survival and its willingness to work to guide them to healthy standards. For some, drug court is the only place where they have ever been treated with respect by their peers or by someone in a position of authority.
The court is used as leverage for stabilizing their lives. In addition to going to school, they have to get a job or do community service, undergo treatment and follow the rules of their household. A premium is put on developing a healthy relationship with one’s family. These are all requirements of functioning in the community.
IN COURT, A TRADITIONAL FAMILY
The Portland court, which is under the supervision of District Court Judge Keith Powers, is the largest juvenile drug court in Maine and faces distinct challenges.
There is a much higher homeless population, making it difficult or impossible to connect to a family support system. The youth have a tendency to use much more destructive drugs in addition to alcohol or marijuana—including such substances as cocaine, methadone, Ecstasy and Suboxone (a replacement for methadone).
Participants from the Portland area who participate in the court have limited access to basic treatment and support services. Statewide, there is a lack of programs such as treatment, peer support groups and teen centers—a problem that will continue as public funding evaporates.
Even with the obstacles facing the Portland court, however, a visit to Powers is an impressive demonstration of the strength of the program.
To an outsider, the courtroom becomes what appears to be a traditional family model, where the youth must stand before the judge and tell him the progress of the week—including his or her successes or failures in passing drug tests, curfew checks or schoolwork.
If the youth has succeeded, then he or she is rewarded with applause, a privilege or a reward. Recognition as simple as an ovation from the court has a stunning effect. However, if an offender has failed in his or her commitments, he or she may be sanctioned with community service, writing a paper explaining why, or in the worst-case scenario, a stay at a detention facility. Absolute honesty is required.
SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITY
It is behind the scenes in the pre-court meetings where the rich partnership is evident. There is a committed team of advocates, including representatives of the District Attorney’s Office, mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, and school officials.
This collaboration bolsters the effort to find the strengths in each youth that can be built upon for the youth’s ultimate success. It recognizes the many ways in which a struggling youth needs support in a community, and it takes into account the circumstances of each individual.
However, these courts cannot operate in a vacuum. If these vulnerable youths then fall back into high-risk behaviors, then they face the personal cost and we face the public one.
As a community, we are challenged to look at the support systems that are available for these youth in recovery, as well as prevention measures.
We will all benefit if they become productive members of the community. That translates directly into safe and healthy places for them to go, activities for them to do and, perhaps most importantly, an honest conversation about our shared responsibility for these kids of Maine.
Our future depends on it.