Troubled Teens Resources

Teen crisis intervention programs have been organized nation wide in an effort to stem the tide of teen age crime and drug abuse. One such popular program, Drug Court, has had measurably good success with re-offenders.

The cycle of drug abuse is rarely ended after the first cycle of rehab for many teenagers. A run through a boot camp or brat camp, if there are even any available, is rarely enough in hard core cases. It is difficult to equip a teen to deal with the pervasive influence of drugs if they live in the midst of a neighborhood that is rife with dealers and gangs. Teen programs such as Drug Court give teens a last chance to reform before the system swallows them up.

“Teenagers who repeatedly land in juvenile court for drug- and alcohol-related crimes have a new opportunity to get clean.
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The program aims to reduce recidivism and teach teenagers how to be responsible human beings with no drug or alcohol abuse…
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Drug court, which takes between 12 and 18 months to complete, consists of five phases, each a bit less intense than the last.

Offenders accepted into the drug court program suffer from addiction and, without serious intervention, they risk being taken from their homes and put in a youth center for in-patient treatment.
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Offenders with diagnosed substance abuse or dependency who need treatment with a juvenile record are eligible for the program. The substance abuse treatment is done through the Washington County Health Department, Bricker said.
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“It’s a last-ditch effort prior to going to placement,” said Cherity Shahan of the Department of Juvenile Services.”

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Teen crisis intervention that spares a troubled teenager a juvenile record is to be encouraged. Though offenses during youth are not to be used against the adult teen, the record will remain and can impinge on school or career choices in the future.

As usual, the program developed in one small town is home grown. Devised by the community in response to growing juvenile crime - crime which inevitably leads to more severe offenses if not nipped in the bud. It is an example of what pro-active parents can initiate with the co-operation from their local churches, community groups and city officials.

“Teens in Durham are being offered a second chance — a chance that not only keeps them out of the courts but gives them an opportunity to give back to the community.

It’s all thanks to a new policing program designed to get to the root cause of youth crime and get kids the help they need before it’s too late.

“Basically, if we catch say a 15-year-old who has broken a window at a church, we look at it and decide whether it would be better to try some alternative justice rather than pursue criminal charges,” Durham Regional Police spokesman Dave Selby explained.

“In such a case, we might instead sit the kid down with his or her parents, the minister of the church, and, with the help of a professional facilitator, discuss in a calm, rational environment how the youth’s actions affected everybody involved,” Selby said.

It’s being tried by other police services across the country and Durham cops began to “really pushing it hard” in January.”

(Source)