Expanding the Hardin County Juvenile Drug Court

The Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity for Juvenile Drug Courts Program (here after referred to as the CSAT/OJJDP Juvenile Drug Court Program) supports programs to enhance and expand substance abuse treatment capacity for juvenile drug courts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) issued a joint solicitation for the FY 2009 CSAT/OJJDP Juvenile Drug Court Program. The purpose of the program is to enhance the capacity of existing juvenile drug courts to serve substance-abusing juvenile offenders through the integration and implementation of the Juvenile Drug Court: Strategies in Practice, the Reclaiming Futures program model, and best practices in treatment. CSAT will provide funding for the treatment component of the program and OJJDP will provide funding for the operation of the juvenile drug court component.

Hardin County began the operation of a juvenile drug court in January 2006. Between 2006 and 2008, the adjudications for drug and alcohol related offenses in the Hardin County Juvenile Drug Court increased by 89%. Also, the drugs of choice have become more lethal. Heroin usage by teen population, while less common than other drugs, is growing. Hardin County is a rural, mixed agricultural/industrial community located in northwest Ohio. The 2000 Census showed a population of 31,945, of which 7,760 (24.3%) are under the age of 18. 21.2% of Hardin County is living in poverty, with a median household income of $34,440, compared to the national figure of $41,994. This places Hardin County 80th out of 88 Ohio counties in terms of average household income. As of March, 2009, the unemployment population (those actively seeking employment) is 12.1% (the state's average is 9.7%). Several of the school systems compare poorly on the states grade card system of evaluation. Several of the school systems serve free/reduced lunches to over 50% of their students. While Hardin County, Ohio, is not geographically among those classified as Appalachian, it shares many common characteristics. Hardin County will address the critical NEED to dramatically expand and strengthen it's drug court program to meet the recent unprecedented explosion of more lethal drug abuse. The program will be expanded by integrating the Juvenile Drug Court model with the Reclaiming Futures approach. The expansion project will be referred to as Hardin PACT (Partnership for Aid to Community Teens).
CA/NCF