Portland, OR - News Detail

Portland is one of ten communities in the nation selected today to receive a $100,000 grant from Reclaiming Futures, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The funds are intended to provide more effective drug and alcohol treatment for local teenagers in the juvenile justice system.

“It's no secret that teens with drug or alcohol problems are more likely to end up in trouble with the law,” says Benjamin Chambers, project director for Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace, which partners with more than 39 organizations, agencies and community groups to improve the quality of alcohol and drug treatment services available to youth in the county's justice system . “This money will let us adopt cutting-edge treatment techniques that can help our young people overcome the cycle of substance abuse and crime.”

One of the ways Reclaiming Futures Multnomah Embrace will use the funds is to hire a consultant to assess the degree to which Multnomah County treatment agencies are involving families, since research shows family involvement in therapy is critical to an adolescent's success. Together, the consultant and agencies will implement adolescent treatment protocols that build on current family involvement and make it a key part of treatment. By encouraging families to interact with counselors and increasing family members' attendance at treatment sessions, parenting skills groups and family therapy sessions, teens in the justice system will have better outcomes in treatment and be much less likely to re-offend.

The grant is the latest national investment in a five-year initiative that brings together local courts, businesses, civic groups, schools and others to improve drug and alcohol treatment, expand and coordinate social services, and find jobs, volunteer work and other opportunities for teens in trouble with the law. In 2002, Reclaiming Futures awarded Multnomah County $1.25M to reinvent the way the community responds to teenagers involved with drugs, alcohol and crime .

Treatment for youth in the system

As many as four out of five of the two million young people who enter the justice system nationally each year have an alcohol or drug problem. “ Unfortunately, most don't receive treatment and what treatment there is needs to be more responsive to the needs of youth. Treatment has traditionally been designed for adults, and we're still learning how to make it work for teens,” says Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., director of Reclaiming Futures, which awarded the $100,000 grants to Portland and nine other communities. “Today's grant gives Multnomah County the opportunity to test promising practices that could make a positive difference in the lives of these teens. Treatment experts around the country are watching this experiment with great interest.”

“Substance abuse treatment is one of the smartest public safety investments we can make,” says Julie Dodge, service director for prevention and youth addiction services at Tualatin Valley Centers, one of the largest providers in the Portland area . “Research shows that treating alcohol and drug abuse reduces crime, saves money and builds safer communities.”

Multnomah County is home to 64,000 youth between the ages of 10-17. The number of these teens who were arrested in Multnomah County and also tested positive for drugs quadrupled from 12 percent in 1992, to a record level of 53 percent in 2000. A 1999 survey revealed that 34 percent of youth on probation in Multnomah County used alcohol or drugs three or more times per week, and 23 percent used them daily.

About Reclaiming Futures

Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. A five-year, $21 million initiative launched by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Reclaiming Futures promotes new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice for young people with drug and alcohol problems. For more information, visit www.reclaimingfutures.org . The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was established as a national philanthropy in 1972 and today is the largest U.S. foundation devoted exclusively to health and health care. To learn about its mission and work, see www.rwjf.org .