AWARD RECIPIENT:

Camden Vicinage Family Division
Camden, NJ

AWARD AMOUNT:

$295,773*

PURPOSE: The Camden Juvenile Drug Court is a post-adjudication program for nonviolent, juvenile offenders ages 14 to 18 who have a demonstrated level of alcohol and/or drug abuse. The drug court has been operating since March 1998 and will use grant funds to continue the program and expand services for juveniles and their families. Specifically, the grant recipient will admit an additional 50 to 75 juvenile offenders; provide more than 24,000 hours of counseling to participants and their families; conduct 1,700 individual counseling sessions and convene 3,500 group sessions; and administer 5,200 drug screens. Additionally, grant funds will be used to incorporate training as an integral component of the juvenile drug court process. The grant recipient will contract with an independent consultant to review program operations and provide technical assistance, as well as to target 5-6 key team members for training. The grantee will coordinate this effort with the following agencies or offices: New Jersey Department of Health, the Camden Vicinage Family Division, the Juvenile Justice Commission, community-based schools, and churches. Some of the goals of this enhancement are to: better serve the needs of drug court participants and their families, thus reducing recidivism rates; educate key team members on their role in the juvenile drug court, and network with other juvenile drug court practitioners; and improve team building and effectiveness.

LOCAL CONTACT:

Joseph F. Gunn
Superior Court of New Jersey
101 South 5^th Street
Camden, NJ 08103
856/225-7371

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS CONTACT:

Linda Mansour
202/616-3534

* This is a tentative award amount pending final budget review.