St. Mary's County, Maryland Juvenile Drug Court

The Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program is designed to assist states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments in developing and establishing drug courts for substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders. Drug court programs funded by the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program are required by law to target nonviolent offenders. The Program supports the following activities: Adult drug court implementation, Juvenile drug court implementation, Family drug court implementation, Single jurisdiction drug court enhancement, Statewide drug court enhancement, and planning efforts.

St. Mary's County is piloting the Juvenile Drug Court (JDC)program for 10 youth. With federal funding the County hopes to fully implement the program, refine it based on the pilot testing, and serve 30 youth the first year, 45 the second, and 45 the third year. All of the goals for youth participating in the Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) are intended to render appropriate assistance to the youth quicker so better results are realized. Goal 1: To expedite the formal processing of juvenile alcohol and drug offenders for drug court eligibility. Goal 2: Reduce substance abuse among drug court participants. Goal 3: To increase the number of the juveniles and their families receiving a risk/mental health screening at DJS intake. Goal 4: Reduce delinquent behavior among drug court participants.

CA/NCF