Reminder on underage drinking
As citizens of Lake County are aware, Lake County Sheriff's Office, Montana Highway Patrol, CSKT Tribal Law Enforcement, and Polson Police Department have established a multijurisdictional partnership to address and reduce underage drinking. The primary focus of the task force is to address when persons sell or otherwise provides alcoholic to a person under 21 years of age. One of the strategies in this partnership will be party patrol checks that shall be addressing juvenile parties.
According to U.S Department of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, alcohol consumption by Youth in the United States indicates underage drinking is widespread in the United States. Approximately 12.5 million underage youth drink each year. According to self-reports by U.S. students in grades 9-12:
o 75 percent had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life
o 44.7 percent had at had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasion in the past 30 days
o 26 percent had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (i.e. binge drinking) in the last 30 days
o 4.1 percent had at least on drink of alcohol or more on school property in the past 30 days
According the statistics of the Twentieth Judicial Youth Court of Lake and Sanders County from January 1, 2009 to May 6, 2010
o 72 Minor in Possession for Alcohol: First offense
o 9 Minor in Possession for Alcohol: Second offense
o 9 Minor in Possession for Alcohol: Third offense
Consequences/dispositions for youth charged with Minor in Possession are as listed:
First Offense
o Fine not less than $100 or no more than $300.
o Mandatory 20 hours of community service
o Youth and Parent MUST complete and pay for substance abuse information course
o Youth Court MUST confiscate driver's license for 30 days; and suspend for three months if youth fails to attend required substance abuse course
Second Offense
o Fine not less than $200 or no more than $600.
o Mandatory 40 hours of community service
o Youth and Parent MUST complete and pay for substance abuse information course, also youth must complete a CD assessment and treatment if recommended and ordered
o Youth Court MUST confiscate driver's license for six months; suspend for nine months if youth fails to attend required substance abuse course
Third Offense
o Fine not less the $300 or more than $900
o Mandatory 60 hours of community service
o Youth and parent MUST complete and pay for substance abuse information course, also youth must complete a CD assessment and treatment if recommended and ordered
o Youth Court MUST confiscate the driver's license for six months; suspend for twelve months if youth fails to attend required substance abuse course
Tragic social consequences can result when youth use alcohol. Underage drinking contributes to youth violence, traffic injuries and fatalities, crime, suicide, high-risk behaviors and a host of other issues. Underage drinking is illegal.
-Courtesy of Barbara A.
Monaco, Chief Juvenile
Probation Officer, Twentieth Judicial District