The cherokee county juvenile court proposes to enhance the services offered to youth ages 1417 with nonviolent drug charges through the enhancement of the juvenile drug treatment court program

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners received a $377,657 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (CFDA 16.585 Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program). The goal of this 4-year grant, starting on Oct 1, 2023, is to enhance the Cherokee County Juvenile Drug Treatment Court program to better serve youth ages 14-17 with non-violent drug charges. Key project activities include identifying low- to moderate-risk youth, conducting risk/needs assessments, and providing appropriate levels of behavioral health treatment and services. Expected outcomes are reduced recidivism and improved accessibility of the program for underserved populations, including the Spanish-speaking community.

The purpose is to enhance monitoring of behavioral health services, ensure disparities do not exist for candidates, and serve court-involved youth who are not moderate to high risk. Project activities include identifying low- to moderate-risk youth, completing risk/need assessments and placing youth into the appropriate level of treatment, and offering services to the spanish-speaking community. Expected outcomes include reduced recidivism and accessibility of programs to underserved populations. The overall premise of the cherokee county juvenile courts mission is to protect the long-term safety of the local community and ensure a brighter future for all cherokee youth.