A PROBLEM WITH PILLS PART 2
By Adam S. Sulfridge / Staff Writer
Following an interview with Chief Wayne Bird of the Williamsburg Police Department as part of a special series on the local drug abuse epidemic, Judge Cathy Prewitt of the 34th Judicial District shed light on what she believes is growing drug abuse among juveniles. This is based on her experience as supervisor of the Whitley County Juvenile Drug Court and Judicial Fellow for the Reclaiming Futures program.
“We’re going to lose a whole generation of children if we don’t do something,” she said. Quoting Congressman Rogers, Judge Prewitt referred to the “War on Drugs,” and explained, “They’re our future… if we don’t do something now, we’ll lose an entire generation of adults, and that’s not going to happen while I’m around.”
“Different kids have different reasons for beginning to use drugs.. Some do it simply out of peer pressure… some get their first drugs at home, which are the really sad situations… and some just experiment because they want to try it.” She added, though, that what begins as illegal use, for whatever reason, can potentially develop into an addiction, saying, “I’m told by specialists that you’re addicted the first time you use meth… it’s a very risky gamble.”
Additionally, Judge Prewitt said she “certainly” believes poverty plays a role in juvenile drug abuse, but cautioned against assuming only children of low-income families abuse drugs. She explained, “There are studies which show that poverty plays a role in drug abuse, but here’s the thing, it spans the whole scale from the children who live in poverty to the children who live in the richest homes in the county.”
She believes one thing is undeniable, though: drug abuse among juveniles is a growing problem for this area.
“Between Corbin and Williamsburg, I presently have 43 children enrolled in juvenile drug court, which is the largest number I’ve ever had at one time.”
When asked why more minors appear to be abusing drugs now than when she first entered the juvenile drug court program six years ago, she solemnly admitted, “I wish I knew.”
Of those juveniles who enter her drug court, Judge Prewitt said pills, marijuana, other drugs and alcohol are factors.
“I can’t give an exact percentage, but over my six years with the program, pill-related incidents probably have increased… but right now it’s pretty much everything,” she explained.
The Whitley County Juvenile Drug Court has been praised as the most successful program of its type in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The designation means that minors who successfully complete Judge Prewitt’s program are less likely to commit crimes as minors who complete other similar programs in the state.
“Juvenile Drug Court is a treatment court, which means it’s an alternative, but that’s not to say a child won’t go to a detention center… if they violate drug court’s rules, they’ll go, and that’s part of the learning process,” she explained.
“When a child comes into court, we assess right at the outset if there’s a problem, so we’re providing quicker treatment, which is the key here,” she continued. “Phase one of the program is a stabilizing period where a child may receive treatment if needed. The second phase is an education period where we teach them what drugs will do to their bodies and what drugs have done to other people’s lives. The third phase is a self-motivation period, and the child must complete all three phases.”
She added, “I see every drug court child at least once a week, and there’s a program specialist who sees each child about three times a week.”
Recently, Juvenile Drug Court was awarded a grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which makes the program an official “Reclaiming Futures” participant. Describing the grant, Judge Prewitt said, “A little over 10 years ago, a group of smart people got together and said there must be a better way of ‘doing juvenile justice’ than what we’re doing now… They chose 10 sites across the United States and said ‘lets get to the root of the problem… why is this child in court to begin with?’”
She summed up the approach, saying, “If you get to the root of the problem instead of slapping children on the hand and seeing them in court again within two months, if you find out that drugs or mental health issues are why the child is in court, then we can put services in place to solve those issues… it’s about understanding why the child is there to begin with.”
“I was already doing that with drug court, but Reclaiming Futures allows us to involve the community. For example, we’re kicking off a mentoring program called Natural Helpers where we team up an adult volunteer with a child… We want to show the child there’s another way of life.”
She added, “We think of it as putting our arms around the child with all the programs that will be available now.”
The drug court program can take nine to 12 months to complete, and Judge Prewitt noted that it’s not uncommon for participants to take longer, but once successfully completing the program, the juvenile is essentially given a second chance at life.
“Once the child completes the Juvenile Drug Court process, I dismiss his or her charges,” she said before adding, “That’s a very good thing for them.”
Judge Prewitt explained that by completing the program, children not only learn how to be drug free, but by having their charges dismissed, a criminal record won’t haunt them for the remainder of their lives.
Generally, she said, “A child is brought to court with a charge, whether it’s a public offense, such as violations, which would otherwise be called ‘crimes’ if he or she was an adult, or by committing a status offense, such as being beyond control or not attending school.”
When it comes to the court’s attention that drug or alcohol abuse played a role in the child’s offense, that’s when he/she is referred to Juvenile Drug Court.
“Under the program, there’s a lot to do, but it’s worth it,” she said. “It saves children’s lives.”
When asked whether she truly believes the program is a success, Judge Prewitt said, “Absolutely… I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe it will result in a drop in adult offenses years from now.” She added, “I volunteer my time, it’s all extracurricular… I firmly believe in the program or else I wouldn’t be dedicating so much of my time to it.”
Giving examples of Juvenile Drug Court’s success, she said, “Previous participants come back… They’ll call or I’ll run into them where they’re now working… They often come back and tell their stories to those who are currently in drug court.”
In closing, she said parents need to stay involved in their child’s life.
“As I said, it’s a war, and parents have to be on board… There are different signs they should look for, such as when a child who has always made good grades suddenly sees a drop in their grades or a sudden change of friends... Also, parents can look at their child’s eyes or look for different behaviors or attitudes…. These are just warning signs. They don’t always mean a child is doing drugs, but awareness needs to start at home.”
