CHAT Creating Healthy Attitudes in Teens

overview

Drug and alcohol related offenses make up a disproportionately high percentage of first time arrests in the juvenile justice system. The probation department of Bergen County and in particular the Juvenile Intake Division have identified the need for an adequate disposition for these cases, one that will substantively address the issues as well as develop preventative strategies to minimize the recidivism rate.

The Bergen County Council on Alcoholism And Drug Abuse, Inc. has developed a program that addresses the relevant issues and teaches decision making skills as well as refusal skills. This two-session program has been financed with funding provided by Mutual of New York and the Bergen County Sheriff's Department. The program is psycho-educational in format and allows for didactic presentation as well as group discussion. The program is run by Master level clinicians who are certified drug and alcohol counselors. Referrals are made from Juvenile Conference Committees in communities as well as Juvenile Intake Conference Services. There is no charge to the participants.

The pilot program began in January 1993 and has been widely accepted in Bergen County. To date (June 1994) there has not been one case of recidivism, a statistic unparalleled in the juvenile justice system.

program description

This program is a two-session psychoeducational program that addresses alcohol and drug abuse and the difficulties that can result from it. The sessions combine didactic presentations with group discussion and focus on the physiological and legal consequences of substance abuse.

session one

This session focuses on the physiological effects of alcohol and drug use. Participants will learn how drugs and alcohol affect the body and how addiction occurs. Decision making skills are presented and discussed.

session two

This session concentrates on the legal implications of substance abuse. With the cooperation of the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, specially trained prisoners of the county jail participate in the program by discussing how their lives were impacted by drug and alcohol abuse. A discussion of what consequences occur if the participants are arrested again follows. The final segment of session two is devoted to developing refusal skills whereby participants are taught avoid situations that could lead to future arrests.