PORT ANGELES — When youths are assigned to Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services Drug Court, they face a great many uncertainties. Did they make the right decision opting for the program? Could they make it through at least a year of court-supervised drug treatment? What happens if they fail?
There’s one thing they can be certain of, though. That’s when Candice Lawler tells them she’s knows what they’re going through. And that they can do it.
Lawler, 36, spent four years starting at age 12 in and out of juvenile drug court. After many relapses, a great deal of hard work and encouragement from the people in Juvenile and Family Services, she graduated from the program when she was 16.
She then graduated from high school on time, went on to earn an associate of arts degree at Peninsula College in addiction studies and got a job at Cedar Grove counseling.
In January, Lawler began her present position as the Juvenile and Family Services’ drug court coordinator, where she can share her experience with young people who find themselves in the same place she used to be.
“I think it lets them know that they are not alone,” she said.
Lawler will be among present and former Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services staff, administrators, attorneys, probation officers, case managers and youth who will attend an open house Friday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the agency at its location, 1912 W. 18th St. in Port Angeles.
She will speak at the event, along with Clallam County Commissioner Randy Johnson and Family Court Judge Simon Barnhart. Chyan Twitchell, 31, will read prepared remarks.
Twitchell first encountered Juvenile and Family Services through its truancy court when she was 11. Over the next six years, she participated in many of the agency’s services.
“They made a huge impact on my life,” Twitchell said. “They motivated me and taught me how to overcome anything that stood in my way.”
The county’s first juvenile detention facility opened about 75 years ago on the top floor of the city’s fire station and was overseen by a live-in matron. A new facility opened in the 1960s with rooms for youth who had violated the law and for mothers and children who could stay as a refuge from abuse.
After the state Legislature passed the Juvenile Justice Act of 1977, many existing detention facilities across the state were modernized or replaced.
Clallam County opened a new facility in 1994 with 22 single beds in detention, a juvenile court room and offices for staff. Demand for space in the detention unit led to an additional 10 beds being added over the next few years.
In 1998, the facility further expanded with the addition of the True Star Treatment Program, a licensed behavioral health division. The program has expanded over the years to treat not just substance use and disorders, but to provide mental health counseling for individuals and their families.
In 1999, Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services became the second juvenile detention facility in the state to become a licensed secure crisis residential center to provide secure, temporary housing for runaway youth, those in crisis or living in dangerous circumstances.
In addition to juvenile drug court, the agency’s services include diversion, probation, special supervision for juveniles sentenced for certain offenses, truancy and youth at-risk to support families.
While the number of youth referred to Juvenile and Family Services by law enforcement has decreased, the kinds of offenses they are accused of committing are more serious, said Director Jody Jacobsen, who has been with the agency for almost 28 years.
Fewer juveniles are arrested for shoplifting and more are committing crimes against people and property, assault, disorderly conduct, harassment and theft. Arrests for drug and alcohol violations also have gone up.
On the other hand, Juvenile and Family Services is doing a much better job of evaluating offenders and identifying what resources and programs are likely to be the most effective, Jacobsen said.
“There’s a statewide needs/assessment tool with an in-depth case management plan so we get to know the kid, set goals and link them to evidence-based interventions,” she said. “It allows us to dive into what is really going on.”
For Lawler, the Juvenile and Family Services facility often was a refuge from what she called a “toxic” home.
“It was a safe place for me,” Lawler said. “It was a place where I could have structure. My emotional and mental needs were met. People were respectful and cared about my well-being. I wasn’t getting that anywhere else.”
Clallam County’s juvenile drug treatment court offers youth at medium to high risk for reoffending the opportunity to have their charges reduced or dismissed when they stop using and complete a rigorous treatment program under strict supervision.
Lawler struggled to complete her own program. It was only because others had faith in her that she made it through, she said.
“I was in juvenile drug court for quite a few years for a six- to nine-month program,” Lawler said. “That just shows that they were not willing to give up on me. That’s what I needed.”
The experience also inspired her to start on the path to her present career.
“I have always wanted to help others, and when I graduated from juvenile drug court, I told myself that I wanted to be Preston Kayes,” she said of the former county drug court coordinator who retired in 2012.
“I admired him because he had given me all the things I’d never had: accountability, stability. He held fire to my toes, he put me into recovery, he saw things in me that I didn’t see.”
Lawler has now been in recovery for 10 years, has five children ages 18 months to 16 years and a partner of 12 years, Jeremy Fowler. In addition to her job with Juvenile and Family Services, she’s preparing to finish her coursework in criminal justice at Peninsula College.
Her job as juvenile drug court coordinator gives her the opportunity to demonstrate the passion, patience, commitment and empathy that she was shown. And that worked.
“We’re not willing to give up when things get tough,” Lawler said. “We will sit down and figure out a solution or a resource. Whatever that might look like, we will fight to get it for you.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
30th anniversary
Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services will celebrate its 30th anniversary with an open house on Friday.
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; presentations at 11:30 a.m. followed by refreshments; detention tours at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Where: 1912 W. 18th St., Port Angeles.
Questions: 360-565-2621.
