Muscogee County Juvenile Drug Court Mentoring Initiative

The goal of the Juvenile Drug Courts Mentoring and Support Services Initiative is to build the capacity of states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and tribal governments to enhance juvenile drug courts by developing and establishing a comprehensive support service initiative that would include mentoring and other appropriate support services (i.e., educational services, health services, employment services, community services, recreational activities, parenting programs, housing assistance) to serve substance-abusing youth who are assigned to the juvenile drug court program. This program is authorized under 42 U.S.C. 3797u.

The Columbus Consolidated Government will establish the administration of a mentoring program that will serve 50 non-violent, post-adjudicated youth ages 12-17 annually, 150 youth over the three years of the project period. The proposed mentoring initiative will use demonstrated evidence based interventions with the long term goals of reducing recidivism rates, increasing drug court completion rates, improving academic performance and enhanced family relationships. Immediate or short term goals include the establishment of a full time mentor coordinator; establishment of operational activities to include screening, recruiting, and training processes for the selection of mentors; establishment of matching and supervision activities; establishment of an ongoing evaluation process and establishment of ongoing community based partnerships. CA/NCF