Roundup: National Drug Control Strategy Could Change Addiction Treatment ... and More

Editor's Picks: Stories of the Week

 
New Federal Drug Control Strategy

• If you manage an adolescent substance abuse treatment agency or system, you won't want to miss this recorded webinar. The Obama Administration’s ambitious national drug control strategy, due out until February, could double or triple the number of people getting treatment by integrating addiction treatment into doctor’s offices. There will also be a new focus on treating offenders and an overall emphasis on recovery in addition to treatment. Check it out - it's completely worth your time.
   

School-to-Prison Pipeline

• The Advancement Project issued a report on how zero tolerance policies and high-stakes testing feed the school-to-prison pipeline -- and what to do about it. (Hat tip to @KatriK.)
• Want to support or create alternative high schools for kids who’ve not been successful in mainstream classrooms? The National League of Cities now hosts an online directory of "policy-related resources, tools, and materials that youth development advocates have used to in their efforts to open alternative high schools across the country." 

 
Juvenile Justice and Substance Abuse Treatment News

• Did you know that there are a half million people in this country (both adults and juveniles) who are sitting in jail because they can’t make bail? What's more, they often sit there for months at a time. NPR did a multi-part story on this problem, the huge cost to taxpayers, and the influence of the bail bond industry. To quote the story, these people are in jail,

“… not because they're dangerous or a threat to society or because a judge thinks they will run. It's not even because they are guilty; they haven't been tried yet. They are here because they can't make bail — sometimes as little as $50.”

(Hat tip to @mattjkelley and @piper.)

• I just ran across Terry L. Cross's 2008 article, "Native Americans and Juvenile Justice: A Hidden Tragedy." One theme of the article: lack of adequate mental health and alcohol and drug treatment. (Hat tip to @stevenarmijo.)
• Join Together reports that while alcohol and drug taxes have been increased in multiple states recently, the money’s not going to prevention and treatment, which disappoints many advocates. 
• Newsweek published a column on the economic and public safety benefits of providing rehabilitative services for kids in the justice system. (Hat tip to Justice for Juveniles.)

 
Resources and Opportunities

• The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is seeking peer reviewers for 2010 grant applications in a whole range of subject areas. If you’re interested, the application deadline is March 31, 2010.
• The National League of Cities issued a tool kit for city leaders on "Preventing Gang Violence and Building Communities Where Young People Thrive."  The toolkit "draws upon lessons learned over the past three years from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network, a 13-city network formed to identify strategies for reducing gang violence and victimization. "
• NIATx is offering a two-day workshop in April to help you lead change projects and teams within your organization. (You can even get up to twelve CEUs for completion.) NIATx works with substance abuse and behavioral health organizations across the country to help them retain more clients, provide better care, and improve their bottom line.
• The state of Maine issued a report card on its substance abuse services, using a Join Together publication as a model. States and other jurisdictions looking to improve their substance abuse treatment systems will want to review it.
• Want to help middle-schoolers learn life skills to ward off depression? Try teaching them cognitive behavioral therapy techniques; NPR has the story. 

 
Positive Youth Development – Youth as Leaders

• Washington, D.C. teens in the foster care system prepare to give testimony on how to improve it.  (Hat tip to Policy4Results.org.)