Topic: Referrals to Juvenile Drug Court

Question: I would like to know who has a juvenile Drug Court in their community and if so does your Teen Court Program make a referral to juvenile Drug Court? Once the referral has been made do you still monitor the case? What happens to the case if they do not complete Juvenile Drug Court? How does your State Attorney handle these cases? Do they have a special Docket?

Responses from Coordinators:

Mid-America Council Teen Court
Stephanie Rall
Director
Mid-America Council - Boy Scouts of America
12401 W. Maple Road
Omaha, NE 68164-1853
Phone: 402-431-9272 Ext. 211 Fax: 402-431-0444
Email: srall@mac-bsa.org
Website: www.mac-bsa.org

We have a Juvenile Drug Court. It is administrated by the Douglas County Separate Juvenile Court. We do not make referrals to Drug Court. 

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Lee County Teen Court
Evelyn Kirbach
Teen Court Program Coordinator
20th Judicial Court Administrator's Office - Florida
1039 SE 9th Place, #361
Cape Coral, FL 33990
Phone: 941-458-7084 Fax: 941-458-7083
Email: ekirbach@ca.cjis20.org

We do not have one in Lee County.

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Seminole County Teen Court
Jennifer Taylor
Teen Court Coordinator
PAY Program
190 Bush Boulevard
Sanford, FL 32773
Phone: 407-665-5364 Fax: 407-665-5365
Email: jtaylor02@seminolecountyfl.gov

In Seminole County, if a defendant fails to comply with Teen Court and has a need for drug counseling or treatment, case will be closed out unsuccessfully and sent back to SAO for consideration for drug court. SAO determines if they will be added to the docket. At that point if accepted, a new case officer is assigned to the case. Hope this helps. 

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Johnson County Youth Court
Courtney Barden
Youth Court Supervisor
Johnson County Court Services
1255 East 119th Street
Olathe, KS 66061
Phone: 913-324-6932

Our County does have a drug court, but youth court does not make referrals to them, as we do not receive drug/alcohol related cases.

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Osceola County Teen Court
Angie Martinez
Teen Court Coordinator
Osceola County Court Administration
2 Courthouse Square, Suite. 3100
Kissimmee, FL 34741
Phone: 407-343-2465 Fax: 407-835-5055

We have a juvenile drug court in Osceola County, but referrals are made to their program through the state attorney’s office (just like teen court gets them). If we have a defendant that we think is more suitable for drug court, then we return it to the state attorney with a recommendation to send it to teen court. Most of our drug court cases are referred as diversion, but some are sent there post-disposition (probation kids). If they are diverted and don’t finish, then they are charged and sent to juvenile court. If they do not comply with drug court and are on probation, their probation can be violated. Our drug court kids go to court every other week with the juvenile judge, and then on the opposite week they go to panel (which is a panel made up of community members that monitor the case). We have a drug court coordinator and case manager.

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New Orleans Teen Court
Lorri Fentress
Executive Director
6740 Kirby Oaks Lane
Memphis, TN 38119
Email: lorrif@hotmail.com

No, we do not make direct referrals to Drug Court here in New Orleans. Like Teen Court, the Juvenile Judges refer cases directly to these programs as they deem fit form their daily dockets. There is no special docket for them either they are also worked into the schedules assigned each judge. We work with first time misdemeanor marijuana cases but Drug Court gets more serious offenders involved with Drug activity so they surpass our program. We also do not work directly with Drug Court but hope to start hosting collaborated events for our participants during the fall such as a feed the homeless activity during Thanksgiving. We offer a drug class but that is implemented by our staff. The drug court Director contracts with his participants directly and works with them longer than we do so we do not use his drug counselors.

Our drug court coordinator is Derek Freeman, 504) 565-8013; 421 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. 

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Orange County Teen Court
David Medvec
Teen Court Coordinator
Orange County Court Administration
2000 East Michigan Street
Orlando, FL 32806
Phone: 407-836-9517 Fax: 407-835-5022
Email: ctaddm1@ocnjcc.org
Website: www.ninja9.org

We have a Drug Court. We can make recommendations it's usually for the clients that do not complete our program due to failing drug test. The State Attorney make's the final determination. We no longer monitor the case. They do not have drug court diversion here, if they fail the judge will sentence them. The state monitors them as they do every case in the system. They have a special docket. (Wednesday afternoon has a unique dress code here at the courthouse)

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Maricopa County Juvenile Court - Summer Teen Court
Charlsie Cordova
West Valley Teen Court Coordinator
Maricopa County Juvenile Probation
7017 N 56 Avenue
Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: 602-525-8898 Fax: 623-930-6130
Email: CHACOR@juvenile.maricopa.gov

Our Drug Court in Maricopa County is separate from Teen Court.

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Volunteers for Youth Justice Teen Court
Shonda Houston
Teen Court Coordinator
900 Jordan Street
Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: 318-425-4413 Ext. 236 Fax: 318-227-0208
Email: ShondaH@shreve.net
Website: www.volunteersforyouthjustice.org

The Volunteers for Youth Justice Teen Court in Shreveport, Louisiana usually does not directly refer youth to the Drug Court Program; instead, we reject any case involving drug activity and we then recommend to the District Attorney to make a Drug Court referral. Occasionally, there may be a youth in Teen Court whose family thinks he/she has a drug problem, but he or she is in Teen Court for another charge. In this case, I will notify the Drug Court personnel that I have a student that may have a drug problem and then I will have the parents contact the Drug Court personnel directly to set up an assessment. This is handled completely separate from Teen Court and I don’t follow-up with the case. 

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Green River Teen Court
Peggy Beckum
Municipal Judge
City of Green River
50 East Second Street North
Green River, WY 82935
Phone: 307-872-6116 Fax: 307-872-0567
Email: pbeckum@cityofgreenriver.org

Our juvenile drug court is being handled through Family Drug Court at the District Court Level. It is just getting started. I would be interested in the information received concerning this.

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Chicago Policy Peer Jury Programs
Clifton Underwood
Peer Jury Coordinator
Chicago Police Dept.
3510 S. Michigan, Room 4081
Chicago, IL 60653
Phone: 312-745-5607 Fax: 312-745-6832
Email: clifton.underwood@chicagopolice.org

In Chicago we only handle misdemeanor or minor marijuana cases. Harder drugs are referred directly to Juvenile Court, and are usually monitored by the juvenile probation officers assigned to the courts.

On the misdemeanor or minor cases, we strongly suggest to the parent and child to get a hospital statement to evaluate the child's condition and determine if a specialist in needed to assure proper actions are taken. If the child or parent refuses, the case is referred to juvenile court within 30 Days of the initial arrest.

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Ulster County Youth Court
Nancy Cormier
Coordinator
Ulster County Probation Department
733 Broadway
Kingston, NY 12401
Phone: 845-340-3622 Fax: 845-340-4373
Email: ncor@co.ulster.ny.us

Ulster County, N.Y. does not have a juvenile drug court.

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Polk County Teen Court
Mary Carrier
Director
Circuit Judge's Office
P.O. Box 9000
Drawer J-111
Bartow, FL 33831
Phone: 863-534-4648 Fax: 863-534-4098
Email: mcarrier@jud10.flcourts.org

Yes, Polk County has a juvenile drug court and our jurors refer cases to the program. If the youth fails drug court the case is referred back to us and we file it with the clerk of court to be processed through the juvenile court. Because our cases are direct filed by law enforcement the state attorney, clerk of court, and DJJ have never had it so when the youth fails drug court and we file it with the clerk it is handled as a new case by them. Hope this helps.

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Wyandotte County Youth Court
Julie Pieri
Youth Court Coordinator
KVC Behavioral Healthcare
607 Tauromee
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: 913-621-3523 Fax: 913-621-1669
Email: jpieri@kvc.org

In Wyandotte County, the drug diversion unit is separate from the Youth Court program for serving misdemeanor offenses. As part of our Youth Court program, we will drug test youth suspected of using and if the test is positive, the youth is assigned to attend a drug treatment program. If the youth is charged with possession they go directly to drug diversion and are removed from Youth Court as a re-offender. 

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Alachua County Sheriff's Office Teen Court
Jason Holthus
Teen Court Coordinator
Alachua Co. Sheriff's Office
P.O. Box 1210
Gainesville, FL 32602-1210
Phone: 352-367-4125 Fax: 352-374-1809
Email: jholthus@alachuasheriff.org

We do have a Juvenile Drug Court program yet the Teen Court does not make referrals to that program. Thank you.

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Warren County Youth Court
Kathryn Price
Youth Court Director
Council for Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
346 Main Street, Suite 2
Hudson Falls, NY 12839
Phone: 518-746-1527 Fax: 518-746-1779
Email: warrenctythcrt@yahoo.com
 
Our program is referred cases from our Juvenile Drug Court as a significant part of the process. This entails a great deal of interaction with the Drug Court Coordinator and the Family Court Judge.

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