(FROM THE APPLICATION): Violent juvenile crime in Lane County, Oregon, has increased 36 percent over the last 3 years. Public concern about the rise in juvenile offenses is very evident. Lane County voters recently passed a measure that mandates minimum 5-year sentences with no parole for juveniles over age 16 convicted of certain felonies. Alcohol and other drug use is strongly linked to juvenile delinquency. Eighty percent of all Lane County juvenile offenders misuse substances. Virtually all violent juvenile crime is committed when the offender is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Effective drug treatment is imperative to both the rehabilitation of the juvenile offender and to the community's efforts to reduce juvenile crime. Currently, only 25 percent of juvenile offenders in Lane County receive any type of drug treatment. Over 50 percent of those who receive treatment do not complete treatment. Lane County proposes the development of the Youth Intervention Network (YIN) to bring the highly related issues of drug misuse and juvenile crime into the same service network. The YIN will greatly increase the number of juvenile offenders who receive drug treatment and will create an unprecedented integration of services for juvenile offenders who misuse substances. Under the YIN, all juvenile offenders will be assessed for drug-related problems. The assessment will be presented to the YIN coordination team composed of representatives from juvenile justice, alcohol and other drug treatment, primary and mental health, schools, employment, recreation, and managed care. This team will coordinate a service plan for every juvenile offender who has been assessed as having substance abuse issues. Case management will include facilitating access to all necessary treatment services, intensive client tracking, frequent case review, and regular treatment team case staffing. Existing state-of-the-art programs in Lane County provide a strong foundation for the development of the YIN. Juvenile corrections has received State and national recognition for its innovative programs. Drug treatment for youth in Lane County has been greatly enhanced over the last 5 years by new programs supported by a CSAT critical populations grant. Lane County recently received a 5-year grant from the Center for Mental Health Services to integrate services for seriously emotionally disturbed youth. The existence of this strong foundation for the YIN and the significant need to address the serious problem of drug use among juvenile offenders combine to make Lane County an ideal site for this demonstration project.
