Screening     All potential participants will be screened after arrest by the District Attorney's Office and the Family-Focused Juvenile Drug Court Team. For detained offenders, screening will occur when the juvenile offender appears before the judge for the 72-hour hearing. For non-detained offenders, arrest reports will be forwarded, within one week, to the case manager and the district attorney to determine if the offender meets the legal criteria for non-violent offenders and to the treatment provider (FOTC) to verify existing substance abuse problems and draw attention to potential problem areas. Screening will pinpoint problem areas such as serious and violent behaviors, gang involvement, other psychological diagnoses, and family history of substance abuse.  Eligible juveniles will include males and females between 13 and 17 years whose histories and arrest records indicate problems related to substance abuse but no pattern of chronic violence or sex offenses.

Example criteria for participation in the Juvenile Drug Court Program include:

• Possession of small amount of    drugs or paraphernalia.
  
• No evidence of substantial drug dealing.
  
• No pattern of chronic violent offenses.
  
• No sex offenders.