Members Absent:
Judge Karen Braaten
John Thelen
Melody Peterson
Brandi Sasse Russell
Rep. Ron Carlisle
Dave McGeary
Peter Welte
Staff:
Marilyn Moe
The Juvenile Drug Court Advisory Committee met at the Doublewood Inn, in Fargo, ND, on September 27, 2005. A motion was made to approve the minutes of April 8, 2005, by Judge Webb and seconded by Judge Romanick. Motion carried.
New Business:
Shawn Mattingley, the new coordinator from Grand Forks, reported for the Grand Forks team. Grand Forks currently has eight participants. Two participants graduated and three were terminated since the last advisory meeting. Deb Davis and Mike Pesch will coordinate a drug court support group for the participants who have completed treatment and who are still in the drug court program. Graduates of the program will also be invited tp participate at no charge. Justice Maring asked the team if they had started a Writing or Parenting Program. The team had discussed the programs and have decided that the participants have a full week with treatment, probation, school, community service or work and, therefore, the team has not added these programs.
Sue Lass, coordinator, reported for the Fargo team. There are currently 11 participants in the program. Three participants graduated since the last meeting. A Writing Program, facilitated by Tammy Foster Johnson, was held for eight weeks during the summer months. Sue Lass will send the drug court coordinators a copy of the summary comments for the Writing Program. The court celebrated its 5th anniversary in June with a picnic and games.
Jackie Presley, coordinator for Bismarck, reported for the Bismarck team. Currently there are seven participants. Three participants graduated and three were terminated since the last advisory meeting. A partnership has been formed with the Retired Seniors and the participants. They have been working on community projects together. Facilitators for the Writing and Parenting Program will start the programs later this year. Brad Peterson, defense counsel, has applied to be a presenter at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals speaking on the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Dr. Kevin Thompson distributed the School Achievement Report and a PowerPoint handout of the latest data for the drug court programs. Justice Maring asked if this included participants in the GED program or at the alternative schools. Dr. Thompson replied that this report includes only those enrolled in regular school. He recommends that the courts take a look at whether the participants should be employed during drug court. Judge Romanick was concerned about the late work hours of some participants. He was also concerned about the restitution the participants still owe. Nicole Leitner stated that 80% of the participants need extra activities and more structured time. Steve Mottinger said that the court limits the time for extra activities because of all the activities the participants are required to attend by drug court. The committee discussed ways to strengthen the participants talents.
Deb Davis attended the National Rural Institute in Wisconsin. She attended the advanced track on juvenile drug courts. She expressed her appreciation for the structure and foundation of the North Dakota Drug Court Program. Plaques were presented to Justice Maring, Kevin Thompson, and Marilyn Moe for their dedication to the program.
Marilyn Moe distributed handouts from those who attended the National Association of Drug Professionals. Nine team members from Bismarck and Fargo attended the conference.
Justice Maring reported that Judge Karen Braaten attended a training conference on co-occurring disorders and will be presenting at the next Judicial Conference. She also stated that she and Judge Hagerty are members on the Legislative Council’s Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration.
John Grinsteiner reported on the development of the North Dakota Drug Court Association. An organizational meeting took place this spring in Bismarck. There were many in attendance. A nonprofit organization will be formed and there will be minimal dues required. John will keep the group updated.
Marilyn Moe stated that the Grand Forks team is currently on a pilot project with RoboCUFF. RoboCUFF is a voice monitoring system and is used in place of electronic monitoring and also makes curfew calls. A report will be submitted back to the teams once the project is completed.
Old Business:
Marilyn Moe reported on the Strategic Plan indicating information has been gathered. The committee agreed to have a small committee prepare a final draft for the advisory committee. Deb Davis agreed to assist Marilyn with the project.
More discussion followed on assessments for each individual court and assessments on the participants. Justice Maring and Marilyn will follow up on these concerns.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 21, 2005.
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted.
Marilyn Moe