By Travis Gettys
Enquirer contributor

Placing juvenile offenders in detention is the most expensive - and least effective - way to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, says a manager at an agency that helps troubled youth and their families.

"For every dollar a community spends on effectively treating behavioral health problems in kids, the community saves $10 to $20 in other costs," said Mike Downer, director of family and child services for NorthKey Community Care.

A new program aimed at helping juvenile criminal offenders and their families talk their way through conflict started last month in Northern Kentucky with a $300,000 grant provided by several organizations.

Campbell County juvenile offender information helped secure the grant. According to a 2002-03 survey of youths in the Campbell County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, an estimated 90 percent had symptoms of a psychiatric disorder and many also had a substance abuse problem.

"Of those, more than half had never received treatment," Downer said.

Depression and oppositional defiant disorder are among the most common diagnoses, the study showed, while marijuana is the drug most commonly abused by juveniles in the area.

"But we're getting more kids that are using cocaine, heroin and what they call 'street pills' - mostly prescription painkillers," Downer said.

Many juvenile offenders commit crimes to pay for their habits, said Vickie Kohus, Northern Kentucky district supervisor for the juvenile justice department.

"Or, if they're under the influence, they don't know what they're doing and commit crimes," she said.

Programs that involve entire families are most effective, Kohus said, because an unhealthy home life often sends young people onto the streets with little or no supervision.

"Parents may not know how to parent a teenager," Kohus said, "and teenagers can be a big issue for anyone."

Downer said his agency began using functional family therapy to help troubled young people develop better communication skills, particularly in their family environment.

"Poor conflict resolution and problem-solving usually worsens existing problems," he said.

Youths with milder problems meet with therapists eight to 12 times in a three-month period, and youths with more severe problems meet up to 30 times with therapists over 12 to 15 weeks.

Families are urged to attend, Downer said, and therapists will make house calls to encourage participation.

"One of the intentions of this program is to be readily available," he said.

So far, about 15 juveniles and their families have started the program, Downer said, and the grant will cover about 240 families over three years.