Duval County Juvenile Drug Court Enhancement

OJJDP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are collaborating to enhance the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop and establish juvenile drug courts conjointly with the Reclaiming Futures program model to serve substance abusing juvenile offenders. This program supports the implementation of juvenile drug court programs, using best practices in substance abuse treatment, along with the Reclaiming Futures program model. This program is authorized by 42 U.S.C. Section 3797u.

The Duval County Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) program, the Court Administration Offices of the City of Jacksonville in collaboration with the State Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office and River Region Human Services will enhance its existing services for youth, ages 12-17, who are involved in the juvenile justice system. Since 1997, the JDC has served as an opportunity for young people to access developmentally appropriate substance abuse treatment as an intervention to their law violations. In order to enhance treatment, JDC will implement the Reclaiming Futures model to better identify youth in need of treatment services and refer them in a timely manner to adequate services. The GAIN family of evidence-based assessment instruments and Seven Challenges®, an evidence-based substance abuse treatment program, will be implemented to guarantee that the Duval County Juvenile Drug Court provides effective treatment to its participants. Recognizing the importance of going beyond treatment, the JDC will continue to identify new community partners for the purpose of engaging youth in healthy, pro-social activities and continued evolution of youth development services. New and existing partners will engage in the effort for sustained and systematic change to this vital community program. JDC will collect all necessary inputs and outcomes required to comply with the identified OJJDP performance measures. CA/NCF