09.06.12

Hoeven Awards Juvenile Drug Court Graduate Tate Rivera College Scholarship

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven, along with Hon. Steve McCullough and the East Central Judicial District Juvenile Drug Court team members, awarded Tate Rivera the 2012 North Dakota Association of Drug Court Professionals scholarship in recognition of his successful graduation from the Fargo Juvenile Drug Court. This scholarship is awarded annually to a North Dakota Juvenile Drug Court graduate who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to following the requirements to graduate from the program, especially a commitment to volunteering and earning an education. Rivera plans to use his scholarship to attend Minnesota State Community College in Moorhead, Minn.

“During the past decade, North Dakota’s Drug Courts have made a positive impact on the lives of many young people who have found both support and recovery through the court’s unique and innovative approach” said Hoeven. “Tate Rivera is one of the young adults who has benefited from these courts, and while these courts and the dedicated individuals who lead them deserve our thanks, it is also important to recognize the hard work and dedication Tate has done to meet each benchmark set by the court. We congratulate him on his accomplishment and extend our best wishes as he continues his studies.”

Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) is a special program aimed at intervening in the lives of substance abusing juveniles. The program is court supervised, treatment oriented and targets non-violent participants whose major problems stem from substance abuse. It is a voluntary program that includes weekly court appearances before a Drug Court judge. Additional elements of the program include frequent drug testing, intense judicial and probation supervision, individual, group and family counseling, drug abuse treatment, educational opportunities and the use of sanction and incentives.

This May, North Dakota’s Juvenile Drug Court Program celebrated its twelfth anniversary. The first pilot juvenile drug courts began operating Fargo and Grand Forks district court’s in May 2000. Today, five active juvenile drug courts operate in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. Five active adult drug courts also operate in the state. As governor, Hoeven was a strong advocate of drug courts. He supported and signed funding for the state’s juvenile and adult drug court programs, and made the adult drug program permanent in 2003.

To date, 200 participants have successfully completed the North Dakota's Juvenile Drug Court Program, and four graduates have received the North Dakota Association of Drug Court Professionals scholarship.