Editor's Note: The following article describes an initiative to develop integrated delivery services for juveniles who are regular users of drugs or alcohol. According to NH District Court Administrative Judge Edwin W. Kelly, Nashua and Laconia both have excellent services for substance-involved juveniles, and the purpose of this program is to improve the integration of those services. This article appeared in the March 23, 2002 issue of The Telegraph and is reprinted courtesy of The Telegraph, Nashua, NH, www.nashuatelegraph.com.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently made New Hampshire the only state, and Nashua District Court a target location, to supply five years of model services for troubled juveniles with substance abuse problems.

"I see everything from shoplifting to felonious sexual assault in my juvenile court, and it is very rare indeed that there isn't a substance abuse connection," said Nashua District Court Associate Justice Tom Bamberger.

Retired Nashua Police Detective Lt. Gerald Evans came to Nashua's aid in applying for this grant with the city of Laconia. It was the only grant that creates a statewide model program among the 11 grants awarded from 280 applications.

"The Greater Nashua area has a fantastic base of services. This will enable the city and state to improve on how we deal with these critical issues," said Evans, now project coordinator of the New Hampshire Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.

The Nashua and Laconia courts will share a $200,000 grant to treat as many as 300 juveniles beginning next year.

The most-wanted juveniles for this program - called Reclaiming the Futures of New Hampshire's Youth - will be those who regularly drink and get in trouble with the law. First-time offenders are already dealt with in diversion programs.

Nashua Youth Council Executive Director Betsy Abrahams said the existing court diversion program has shown that stepping in works, especially when anti-alcohol and anti-drug youths are enlisted to help. "That's where we get local kids to hold others accountable. We need to build on that and train more folks," Abrahams said.

Kelly noted that the state is getting a reputation as one with a changing, no-tolerance attitude toward children and substance abuse. "New Hampshire and other communities are poised to institute meaningful systemic change in the way we respond to substance abuse among juvenile offenders," Kelly said.

Nashua Mayor Bernie Streeter's anti-drug task force helped the state win this grant, as did a Belknap Community Council under the direction of Laconia District Court Special Justice Willard Martin, Jr., Kelly said.

Bamberger said when he first became a judge, he was surprised by the network of agencies that can help support such a program. "This is requiring the judiciary to think outside the box," he said.

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