Posted on 01/28/2011 7:52:56 AM PST by sweet_diane
I got an email from a parent in Shelby Co. last night who has a juvenile child enrolled in drug court. This parent informed me that the judge (Kramer) forced a drug test on the spouse under threat of arrest "to prove the parents are good role models" and that this is standard procedure in Shelby Co. drug court.
(Excerpt) Read more at nallforgovernor.blogspot.com ...
FWIW, I have not ties/loyalty to Lorreta Nall, just found the topic interesting.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
It seems to me, that unless there is evidence that indicates the parent(s) are violating some law, then this judge is violating the Constitution of the United States by ordering them to undergo drug tests. But then again, maybe my definition of 'unreasonable' differs from his.
Drug court is a rehab-oriented approach to juvenile drug use. The juvenile agrees to go to NA or AA, to be counseled, and to be drug tested by a probation officer on a weekly basis. This is offered as an alternative to juvenile incarceration. I see no problem with asking a parent to be drug tested as a condition of participating in such an alternative sentence.
As a parent who went through this with a stepson, I can tell you that it is a lame-a$$ approach to the problem. The whole drug court system is a big waste of time and money. They allowed the kid 3 dirty tests, and made him go back every month. As parents, we had to take him to meetings, take him to and pay for counseling, and go to the court sessions every month. This did nothing to change the propensity of the kid to smoke pot, and even after a boot-camp type of incarceration for failure to comply, he still smokes pot to this date, 14 years later. All we did was pay money to a social services agency for counseling, and fees for participating.
The ultimate outcome is that he is a pot-smoking liberal.
Participation in an alternative sentence is voluntary. The court has other sentencing options available. The parents simply refuse drug testing, and the little bastard is sentenced to juvenile hall. The parents are stupid to even consider drug court for their kid, all they are doing is enabling bad behavior.
To bad they can not apply this test to the people on welfare.
Good for you, it might not have worked but you didn’t throw the kid to the curb. I can do the math, your step-son isn’t quite 30 yet, just wait. I believe because of you, he’ll become a better citizen after 30 and forget that liberal shit. He may always smoke pot, but he’ll not always be a liberal. You’ve shown him the folly in that.
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