Lancaster County Juvenile Drug Court

Lancaster County will use grant funds to implement a drug court for nonviolent, substance abusing, juvenile male and female offenders. The drug court will serve 150 juveniles and their family members in an 18-month post plea program over a three year period. Program services will include early, continuous and intensive judicial supervision, treatment, mandatory drug testing, graduated sanctions, incentives, and other rehabilitative services such as education, primary health care, housing, and aftercare. The Lancaster County Juvenile Drug Court will reduce drug use among juvenile offenders, decrease recidivism within the juvenile justice system, increase substance abuse awareness among the parents of drug court clients, and increase participant school performance. The drug court will use an existing database to collect, maintain, and store data for operational and evaluation purposes. An independent evaluator will conduct process and outcome evaluations to gauge program effectiveness and determine whether the program is meeting its goals and objectives. The Lancaster County Juvenile Drug Court will coordinate with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Christian Services, Lancaster County School District, Lancaster County Adult Education, the Lancaster Fatherhood Project, Las Fuertes Familias, and Lancaster County Department of Mental Health.