Melissa O’Brien will be a senior in Oak Harbor next year, but she’s already had a significant graduation, complete with a party for friends and family. There were plenty of hugs, handshakes and, of course, cake to go around.

O’Brien is the thirteenth student to graduate from the Island County juvenile drug court. It’s a three-year-old program for juveniles who’ve committed crimes that directly or indirectly involved drugs or alcohol. The program involves intensive attention from juvenile justice officials, along with requirements specific to each kid, but it gives the juveniles a chance to have their criminal records cleared.

“It was a really good program. Really helpful,” O’Brien said. “It helped me with a lot of things, like when my mom and me get into a fight. It helped me deal with my anger.”

The creation of drug courts across the nation, for both juveniles and adults, started in the 1990s and they have shown a high success rate. In May, the the National Drug Court Institute released a report on the impact and effectiveness of drug courts. It found that kids who went through the court were less likely to commit another crime as compared to those who didn’t go through the program.

In addition, the study reported that in Washington the average drug court participant produces $6,779 in benefits from avoided costs to victims and the criminal justice system, creating $1.74 in benefits for every dollar spent on drug court.

On Whidbey, O’Brien said she received a minor-in-possession citation a couple of years ago. The court originally gave her diversion, but she didn’t fulfill the requirements and ended up in juvenile drug court.

During the year-long program, O’Brien had to stay clean and sober, attend anger management counseling, volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club and attend twice-monthly hearings at the Superior Court so Judge Alan Hancock could keep tabs on her progress.

O’Brien has a lot of respect for Hancock, who attended her graduation celebration at the Law and Justice Center.

“He’s awesome,” she said. “When you’re on his good side, he’s very nice. He’s very helpful. He always has good ideas. … He’s very intuitive.”

While O’Brien’s experience was a definite success story, the court also deals with tougher cases. Channing Gredvig, the drug court probation officer and coordinator, said the court has dealt with kids who have serious drug problems. One of the most common and destructive drugs, he said, is methamphetamines.

“The meth thing is crazy right now,” he said. “It’s way bigger than it’s ever been. It’s so easy to make and get hold of.”

According to Gredvig, the program involves a lot of supervision, adult involvement, positive reinforcement and what he calls “strength-based reinforcement.” The key to getting kids off drugs and out of trouble, he said, is helping them identify another activity that they would be willing to put their energy into.

“We need to find common ground, between what we think they should do and what they are willing to do,” he said.

While the specific requirements are tailored to each child’s problems and interests, there are some things everyone has in common. They have to submit to random urinalyses, go to treatment and keep in touch with Gredvig.

The law-and-justice officials involved in the court meet regularly to discuss each case and talk about concerns with the program. Gredvig said they’ve recently had trouble with the kids not trusting each other and getting upset about what others are “getting away with.”

The group decided that they will work with the juveniles to give them the message that they should focus on themselves, Gredvig said, and not worry so much about others.

A new component to the drug court is a family group program, which is 10 weeks of counseling sessions for the family of kids in the court. Gredvig and a woman from Compass Health teach the program, which is funded by a grant from the Health Department.

For O’Brien, the future is wide open. After graduating from high school, she plans on becoming a mechanic, then a psychologist, and retire early so she can travel the world as an artist.

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jsten

sland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.