Juvenile drug court loses federal funding source

A 16-year-old boy in a bright orange sweater and blue sweatpants joined a group of juveniles sitting in a courtroom Thursday afternoon.

It was his first time standing before a Family Court hearing master.

“You are going to get treatment here,” Family Court Hearing Master Stephen Compan told him during a session of Drug Court.

“It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be great as long as you work with the program.”

The 16-year-old was ordered to participate in Drug Court because he was using a drug known as “spice,” which has effects similar to marijuana. He had been in detention but was given house arrest Thursday and ordered into treatment for his substance abuse issues.

The other juveniles were making routine appearances in the longstanding Drug Court and Substance Abuse Assessment and Referral Program, which now faces an uncertain future because of funding issues.

The yearlong program serves about 140 youth in the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services at any given time. Participants have been adjudicated for crimes and have been found to be substance abusers, said John “Jack” Martin, director of Department of Juvenile Justice Services, a proponent of Drug Court.

“These kids are out in the community,” Martin said Wednesday. “We are trying to curtail their arriving in detention.”

Officials received notice in April that the federal grant that helps fund the program no longer will exist starting July 1, when the new fiscal year begins, Martin said.

The grant, distributed by the state, is worth $100,821 a year and helps juvenile justice services pay half the cost of three Drug Court program positions.

Officials are looking for ways to continue the program. They have until July 1 to find a solution. Whatever Martin does, he wants to make sure it won’t affect other juvenile justice programs.

Clark County has $2.9 million for supplemental positions for next fiscal year, but that is for all of its departments. The county manager has committed to prioritizing positions in the Family Services and Juvenile Justice Services departments, according to a Friday statement from county spokesman Erik Pappa.

“We have several options on the table, and we want to make sure we choose the best one,” said Martin, who isn’t ready to speak publicly about the alternatives.

Family Court Judge William Voy said the positions the grant supports are “crucial.” The grant helps fund a full-time probation officer and a half-time mental health clinician.

“It’s an alternative to more traditional and more expensive ways of dealing with kids,” he said of Drug Court on Thursday.

When dealing with substance abuse issues, “it’s a matter of understanding what triggers the use,” Voy said. “This program teaches juveniles to control those triggers, allowing them to function in the community.”

Officials want to keep the program alive because they believe it’s effective and provides an alternative to detention. The program has been around for almost two decades, Voy said.

Over the past two years, 500 youth were served by Drug Court. During the same period, 70 percent successfully completed the program and were not re-arrested for a drug-related offense, Martin said.

A common factor in why juveniles fall into substance abuse is their peers, Compan said. Other causes include trauma and having parents who are substance abusers.

The program for juveniles is seen as therapeutic, Compan said. “We tell them that they can reclaim their lives.”

That is what one 17-year-old is trying to do.

He began Drug Court in February. On Thursday, he was assigned a “perfect.”

When juveniles come in to see Compan, they are assigned a status of “perfect,” “near perfect” “fair” or “poor” based on their progress. They take a drug test to see if they are staying clean.

Those with a “perfect” are given a piece of candy to mark their success.

Those who are failing in the program are sent to in-patient substance abuse treatment facilities, and when they improve, they are brought back into the program, Voy said.

Juveniles who slide into heavier drug use may be sent to correctional facilities, such as the Youth Center.

The 17-year-old, who had an alcohol addiction, was one of the first to earn candy Thursday.

“I would wake up, and I would drink,” said the teen of his habit before being referred to Drug Court.

He realizes now that is not what he wants to continue to do. The alcohol was taking a toll on his health, and his 17-year-old girlfriend is now pregnant with their daughter.

“I don’t want to be a drunk father,” he said.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro.