NCJ Number
171139
Date Published
November 1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the background of juvenile and family drug courts, this report describes their goals and structure, compares them with traditional court processing, and identifies critical issues unique to juvenile and family drug court programs.
Abstract
For the purpose of this report, a juvenile drug court is defined as "a drug court that focuses on juvenile delinquency matters and status offenses that involve substance-abusing juveniles." A family drug court is defined as "a drug court that deals with cases involving parental rights, in which an adult is the party litigant, which come before the court through either the criminal or civil process, and which arise out of the substance abuse of a parent." Juvenile and family drug courts provide much earlier and more comprehensive intake assessment for both juveniles and adults and have a much greater focus on the functioning of the family as well as the juvenile and parent than traditional courts. There is a closer integration of the information obtained during the intake and assessment process with subsequent case decisions. There is also greater coordination among the court, the treatment community, the school system, and other community agencies that respond to the needs of juveniles, families, and the court. Because juvenile and family drug courts are relatively new, there has not been a sufficient period of operation to document significant results over the long term. Juvenile and family drug court judges are reporting, however, that their initial experience confirms remarkable sustained turnaround by juveniles and adults in the program who were otherwise at high risk for continued, escalating criminal involvement and illegal substance use. Such indicators as recidivism, drug usage, educational achievement, and family preservation indicate that juvenile and family drug courts hold significant potential. An enclosure provides summary data on juvenile and family drug court activity.