An Illinois judge is visiting area schools in an effort to prevent students from having to visit him in court. An Oct. 20 article on the website of The Plainfield Sun provided the following details about a program that is designed to convince teens to sign contracts pledging to refrain from substance abuse and other dangerous (and illegal) behaviors:

Created several years ago by Mark A. Drummond, a judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Quincy, the 50-minute program provides students with information about the consequences of poor choices.

The talk is peppered with true stories of teens who made wrong decisions and is designed to drive home this message: Encourage friends to avoid wrong behavior that might give them a criminal record or lead to the death of a friend.

"By the time a teen hits the courthouse, it is too late," said Drummond, a father of three who made a similar pact with his children when they were teenagers. Most teens want to do the right thing, and hopefully they'll encourage their peers to do the same."

Labels: prevention, illinois

Posted By: Aspen/CRC