Troubled Teens Resources

Should a fourteen year old girl who gave meth to six classmates have a teen crisis intervention or spend some time in juvenile detention? I think this is a question that a large number of people are asking these days, what is the best way to handle a troubled teen.

“If the teenager who brought methamphetamine to a St. Paul middle school were older, she’d probably be going to prison.
Instead, the 14-year-old girl’s guilty plea Wednesday likely will result in drug intervention.
Though police caught the girl who handed out the drugs during lunch at Hazel Park Middle School Academy Tuesday - resulting in her and six other students being sent to area hospitals as a precaution - the investigation wasn’t over Wednesday. Police still want to know where the girl got the crystal meth. They say they found an additional 2 grams of the drug in her home Tuesday night.
Police are looking at the girl’s parents as a possible source, authorities said.On Wednesday, the 14-year-old girl involved pleaded guilty in Ramsey County juvenile court to second-degree sale of a controlled substance. She is being held in the county’s juvenile detention center until her next hearing on Oct. 10, according to the Ramsey County attorney’s office.
For an adult who pleaded guilty to the same charge, there would a presumptive prison sentence, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. In juvenile court, there aren’t sentencing guidelines.
The 14-year-old girl might face detention, but “she’s very young - I would think the intervention would focus on treatment and supervision to ensure there aren’t any future problems,” said Backstrom, whose office isn’t involved in the case.
Before a judge determines the girl’s fate, officials will prepare a report that likely evaluates whether she has a prior criminal history, her school records, her home life, and her mental and chemical health.”

(source)
K.D.