Juvenile Drug Court Has Slow but Successful Start

Six weeks have passed, and the Oxnard teen hasn’t had one dirty drug test. He’s been going to school every day, and he hasn’t committed any crimes.

As one of the first youths in Ventura County’s Juvenile Drug Court, the stocky, clean-cut 17-year-old is trying to break an addiction to methamphetamine. If he succeeds, he’ll stay out of Juvenile Hall.

But every day is a struggle. His mother cut off all communication with him seven years ago. Two years later, when he was 12, he started using drugs. His father, with whom he lives, is an alcoholic.

Tensing his shoulders and shifting his weight back and forth, the teen, who appeared in court with his uncle, stood in front of the drug court team and waited to hear feedback on his progress. The consensus: He’s doing a great job.

“If I had an award to give, it would be to you, for the most progress made since the beginning of Juvenile Drug Court,” said Deputy Probation Officer Feleceia Williams-Brown. “I’m proud of you. Please keep up the good work.”

Juvenile Drug Court, which started at the end of July, aims to help young offenders get off drugs, stop breaking the law and stay in school.

Funded by a $250,000 state grant, the program has space for 45 teens with substance-abuse problems. Currently, however, there are only five teens in the program. That is because the drug court team, wanting the program to work, is selecting teens it believes will make it. But there has been some criticism from outside evaluators that the program is getting off to a slow start.

Modeled after the successful adult program that came to the county more than four years ago, the program gives youths the chance to shorten their probation period or possibly avoid time in Juvenile Hall if they agree to receive treatment and keep clean.

“It really gives [the teens] an opportunity to make some changes in their lives because they are really closely monitored,” said Tanya White, the drug court representative from the county agency Alcohol and Drug Programs. “If they slip up, somebody knows about it. They are really held more accountable and responsible for their actions.”

The teens spend 12 or 18 months under intense supervision by a probation counselor, who frequently conducts home and school visits. During that time, the teens are tested for drugs at least once a week, sometimes twice. If they test positive, they could be sent back to Juvenile Hall.

Filling a Need

The drug court was developed partly in response to a shortage of county programs for drug-addicted teens. There are three outpatient drug clinics, one inpatient center for girls and none for boys. And there is not enough substance-abuse programming within juvenile detention centers, officials say.

The treatment in drug court is intensive. Each week, the teens are required to attend at least three peer-group meetings and one family therapy session. Every two weeks, they have an individual counseling session. And every other Thursday, the teens appear in Juvenile Drug Court.

Attorneys are hopeful that the program will help deter youths from breaking the law. “If you are not drug-addicted and don’t need money to buy drugs, you lose your motivation to commit crimes,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Donna Thonis.

And drug counselors are optimistic that the court will discourage teens from abusing alcohol and drugs. But that takes serious commitment--from both youths and their parents. The parents or other responsible adult family members must take their children to counseling sessions, participate in family therapy and attend all court appearances.

“If the parents aren’t cooperative, forget it,” said Vincent Cappello, a program director with ACTION Family Counseling Centers. “And we’re not going to waste our time with kids that don’t want to make it.”

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The drug court team--made up of the Juvenile Court judge, a deputy district attorney, deputy probation officer, deputy public defender and a representative from Alcohol and Drug Programs--decide which youths to accept into drug court.

They won’t accept any hard-core gang members, anyone who has committed violent or sex offenses or anyone at risk for running away.

Every Thursday, the drug court team meets. Members discuss the cases and collaboratively decide on treatment and supervision. Last Thursday, they shared their concerns about one youth having too much freedom with his curfew, and another having access to his grandfather’s tequila and not taking his probation officer seriously. They also worried about one mother, who seemed to be lying to protect her son.

Then they invited the teens and their parents into the courtroom. One by one, each of the four teenage boys took his turn behind the podium.

A Simi Valley 16-year-old with greased hair put his hands in his pockets and looked down as the judge talked to him. The heavy-set teen has abused alcohol, marijuana and cocaine for several years, and has committed various drug-related offenses. He has a history of verbally attacking his mother, and his father isn’t in the picture.

But since he began in Juvenile Drug Court, he has become “the Simi Valley poster child,” said Eddie Zager, a program director with ACTION. And Williams-Brown, the probation officer, told him she was impressed by his dedication. “It’s still early, so I don’t want to give you too much praise, but I’m excited about working with you,” she said.

When asked her thoughts on drug court, his mother said, “You have no idea what a difference it has made at home. I thank God for this program.”

That same day, the drug court team accepted into the program a soft-spoken Oxnard girl who likes to play the guitar and write poetry. Like her mother, she is addicted to heroin. The 17-year-old, who appeared in court with her great aunt, just finished a stint in Juvenile Hall and was eager to start drug court.

“You know they are going to test you, right?” Judge Steven Z. Perren asked the girl, who sat hunched over, with her ankles cuffed together.

She nodded.

“You know they are going to watch you like a hawk?

She nodded again.

“Because we want you to succeed, not because we’re setting up traps for you to fail,” Perren said. As he shook her hand, he told her she was accepted. “Are you going to make it?”

Quietly, she said, “Yes.”

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Because the program is only a few months old, county officials were hesitant to comment on its effectiveness.

“It’s really working well so far, but I don’t want to be overly optimistic,” said White, the Alcohol and Drug Programs representative. “The kids are bound to relapse. But the drug court is designed to help them when they do slip.”

White and the rest of the team have high hopes for Juvenile Drug Court, because similar programs in other counties have proved successful.

Program Scrutinized

Sociologists from Cal State Northridge and Cal Lutheran University are conducting a two-year study of Ventura County’s Juvenile Drug Court. They are observing the youths as they go through the treatment and will follow them for one year after graduation. Their goal is to see if drug court reduces the teens’ drug abuse and criminal offenses, and if it improves family relationships and school attendance.

Since the county’s Juvenile Drug Court began, none of the five teens has tested positive for drugs or alcohol.

“I’m surprised, actually, that none of the teenagers have relapsed,” said Deputy Public Defender Maria Santana. “That’s pretty amazing. But there is still a long road ahead.”