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JAMES RAY, JD
The Honorable Judge James Ray is the administrative
judge of the Lucas County Juvenile Court in Toledo, Ohio. Judge
Ray was an invited participant in the Juvenile Justice and Substance
Abuse National Planning Meeting which contributed to the development
of the Reclaiming FuturesTM national program.
“Our data shows
that 75-80 percent of youths who commit crimes are harmfully involved
with alcohol and other drugs. Many are under the influence when
they commit the crime. I ask them, "Would you have done this
had you been straight?" And, they say "No." That
tells you that they’re not criminals—yet. They have a
substance abuse problem.
Say there’s a kid who smokes marijuana
every day and gets drunk a few times a week. He breaks into a home
to steal something to sell and buy drugs. He’s caught. He’s
brought to court. The presenting issue is the theft, not drug abuse.
Often as a judge your hands are tied. There are some jurisdictions
where you can’t order treatment for alcohol or drug abuse unless
there is a finding of delinquency based on an alcohol or drug offense.
The ideal situation would be that we can
effect an intervention addressing the substance abuse immediately
which will prevent future crime. We need assessment on demand, intervention
on demand. When needed, treatment should begin within 72 hours.
But, more often than not, the resources just aren’t there.”
Grantee Section:
© Copyright 2002 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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