18. Legal Training on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

The ABA, local bar associations, and the legal profession should:

(a)    Provide thorough continuing legal education programs and other appropriate vehicles extensive curricula on alcohol and drug abuse education. Additional training should be given in order to properly identify, evaluate, counsel and refer young clients with alcohol and drug problems.

(b)    Encourage the training and education of appropriate justice
system personnel, including lawyers, regarding the contributory effect that alcohol and other drug abuse often has upon many offenders and their families in situations involving delinquent conduct or status offenses.

(c) Develop for judges and lawyers handling juvenile and domestic relations cases resources to increase awareness and intensify training and technical assistance efforts concerning alcohol and substance abuse issues. Resources should be developed to replicate these programs which are operating successfully within the nation's juvenile and family courts and communities.

Bar Evaluation and Training.

Numerous witnesses urged the Advisory Commission to encourage the ABA to foster continuing legal education and other programs designed for lawyers to assist them in dealing with clients experiencing alcohol and other drug problems.492 To some extent, the bar's own existing substance abuse programs493 and knowledge could be tapped to provide expertise for such educational activities for lawyers. Another source is the Advisory Commission with its assembly of treatment and medical experts and bar community members involved in alcohol and other drug problems.494

Training for Juvenile Justice and Family Court Program Personnel

Both recommendations address the need to train judges, court officers, lawyers and related justice system personnel specifically in alcohol and other drug problems. As one attorney who testified before the Advisory Commission stated:

States should require juvenile and family court judges, juvenile probation officers and lawyers who represent children to periodically attend continuing education seminars on indentifying and recognizing alcohol and substance abuse problems.495

As has already been noted by judges and others, the incidence of alcohol and drug problems in both juvenile and family court proceedings is very significant.496 In response to these disturbing statistics, the Advisory Commission recommends special training as a means of identifying and interrupting the vicious cycle of juvenile alcohol and other drug problem s.4'7

Coalitions

The witnesses before the Advisory Commission called for more involvement by the bar in community coalitions participating in finding solutions to the alcohol and drug problems of youth.4'8 Although the Commission is a good example of the bar's involvement as a national coalition, there are numerous other organizations composed of other groups networking and cooperating on these problems at the local, state and national levels. As one Commission witness pointed out:

The collaboration of professionals and self-help groups toward the adolescent is crucial. One should feed the other with support. The local ABA chapters should be aware of this resource and the need for cooperation.499
It is through this cooperative effort that the organized bar and the state, and local organizations can effectively battle the war on alcohol and drug problems of youth.

Curricula

Several of the witnesses before the Advisory Commission emphasized the national need to develop and adopt uniform model curricula for youth education on alcohol and other drug problems.50° To some extent, such model curricula have
already been developed and adopted.50I There is, however, still need for additional uniformity and sponsorship in order to encourage wide use of such models.

491See, ezz., testimony of Donald B. Shea, Esq., and Patricia Schneider, Los Angeles.

4925ee, e.g., testimony of Hon. John Girardeau, Atlanta.

4935ee ABA, ABA MAP Program Models and Packages.

494Thirteen members of the Advisory Commission are attorneys.

495Testimony of Paul Mones, Esq., Los Angeles.

496See the statistics in the Introduction to these recommendations on the high percentage of alcohol and other drug problems involved in juvenile and family court proceedings.

4975ee    testimony of Hon. John Girardeau, Atlanta; Phyllis Reilly,
Princeton; and Paul Mones, Los Angeles. Both adult and teen witnesses before the Advisory Commission acknowledged the critical role that all school personnel, professionals and non-professionals, play in identifying and dealing with youth alcohol and drug problems. See, e.g., testimony of William Coletti, Atlanta; and Mark Byrne, Mia Anderson, Princeton. As with training of judges, lawyers and other court personnel, there is a great need for training of school personnel to recognize, identify and assist youth with these problems.

4985ee e.g., testimony of William Coletti, Atlanta; William Blatner, Princeton; and Bertha Smith, Lawrence Wallack, Los Angeles.