Engaging Schools in the Juvenile Drug Court: Promising Strategies from the Field

• Date: 01 June 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12008
• Published date: 01 June 2013
• Author: Meg Holmberg,Susan A. Yeres

Engaging Schools in the Juvenile Drug Court:

Promising Strategies from the Field

By Meg Holmberg and Susan A. Yeres

INTRODUCTION

Few factors impact a young person’s future well-being more than education. Over

their lifetimes, youth who complete high school will earn 50% to 100% more than those

who drop out;1and while the U.S. job market overall is showing signs of improvement,

high school dropouts are falling further behind. Currently, fewer than 40% of the 25

million Americans over age 25 who lack a high school diploma are employed.2Youthwho

drop out are also far more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system. On

any given day, about one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or

juvenile detention, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates.3

Recognizing the critical role of school in the lives of youth, juvenile drug courts

(JDC) since their inception have emphasized education as a key component of a com-

prehensive, multidisciplinary approach to serving the youth under their jurisdiction. The

seminal 2003 publication, Juvenile Drug Courts: Strategies in Practice, notes that “Unless a

juvenile drug court participant successfully engages in an educational program, he or she

1 Henry M. Levin & Cecilia E. Rouse, The True Cost of High School Dropouts, N.Y. Times, Jan. 25,

2012, Op-Ed.

2 Clare Ansberry, As Job Market Mends, Dropouts Fall Behind.The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 21,

2012. See also http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat07.htm.

3 Sam. Dillon, Study Finds High Rate of Imprisonment Among High School Dropouts, N.Y.Times, Oct. 8,

2009.

Meg Holmberg, MSW, is a writer and researcher who for the past 30 years has helped produce

websites, curricula, and publications on topics including delinquency prevention, anger management and

negotiation, and conflict resolution in schools and juvenile facilities. Correspondence: holmberg@eeps.com

Susan A. Yeres, Ed.D., is an independent consultant and adult educator with over 25 years of

experience in the fields of juvenile justice, training, and community development.

Editor’s Note: This article was published in 2013 by the National Council of Juvenile and Family

Court Judges as a Technical Assistance Brief, “Engaging Schools in the Juvenile Drug Court: Promising

Strategies from the Field.” This project was supported by Grant No. 2010-DC-BX-K125 awarded by the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of

Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document or program are those of the authors and do not necessarily

represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the National Council of Juvenile

and Family Court Judges.

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Juvenile and Family Court Journal 64, no. 3 (Summer) 41

© 2013 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges