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The Concord Monitor examines the impact of eliminating "Children in Need of Services" (CHINS), a state program in which parents or school officials can ask the court system for help with children whose behavior suggests serious problems.
That intervention ... is often a last resort for families dealing with uncontrollable, troubled children and the only way to provide adequate treatment and monitoring, said Maggie Bishop, the director of the state's juvenile justice division.
One of the more valuable aspects of the Children in Need of Services process is that it allows for oversight of a family's home, said Judge Ned Gordon, who oversees family cases in Franklin District Court.
"Usually, if a kid's not going to school, that's not the problem. It's a symptom of the problem," Gordon said. In addition to having a probation officer monitor a child and make sure he gets to school and participates meaningfully, the court can require a child to call the officer every night, impose a curfew and require that the child submit to random drug and alcohol testing.
Bringing the CHINS cases to court creates "a full-press effort," said David Kemper, chairman of the state's advisory group for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a national nonprofit association. "You're having a lot more people surrounding this kid and this family ... basically forcing this kid to make good choices."
Failure to intervene is likely to lead to increasingly negative outcomes: reduced engagement in school leading to a lifetime loss of employment and income, exacerbated family tensions resulting in assaults or abuse, and deeper involvement in criminal behavior and incarceration. Ultimately, they will require more costly services and will place increased burdens on local police and hospitals.
CHINS served 1,000 New Hampshire children last year. The House budget saves $7 million over the next two years by eliminating the program. GOP Rep. Neal Kurk, chairman of the House Finance subcommittee that proposed eliminating CHINS, said there was "no question" that cutting CHINS will shift costs elsewhere.
Next week, the Senate Finance Committee will begin voting on budget item recommendations.
