Underage
Drinking: Success Stories
Oregon
– January
15, 2002
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of Problem
Strategies More
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With
support from the OJJDP Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Initiative,
community organizations, enforcement agencies, youth, and other concerned
citizens are working collaboratively to change local ordinances and
enforcement practices.
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Oregon
Community Emphasizes Parental Responsibility
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Communities
in
Oregon
are addressing under?age drinking by
implementing local ordinances to encourage parental responsibility. These
ordi?nances are part of a comprehensive strategy designed to prevent
youth consumption of alcohol.
Several communities in
Oregon
receive funding through OJJDP to
combat underage drinking. Two such communities are
Carlton
and Yamhill, in Yamhill County
. Upon receiving the grant, advocates
researched possible strategies to develop in their community. In surveying
relevant literature, they found that enforcing and strengthening pertinent
laws is an important part of any attempt to reduce underage drinking.
Looking
into the laws affecting their community, advocates realized that law
enforcement was hesitant to enforce the existing state ?parental
responsibility? statute, which deals with ?crimes? and allowed
property seizure. The advocates? response was to develop a city
ordinance mirroring the State law. The ordinance is not as severe, so law
enforcement personnel are more comfortable enforcing it.
Janet
Jones with the Yamhill County Prevention Program says, ?the issue is not
about punishing parents, or even about
passing an ordinance. This is saying aloud that underage and abusive
drinking have hurt too many of our youth, affected too many families, and
that these communities are passionate enough to take a stand to change the
norms that encourage it.?
The
new ordinance stipulates that parents will be fined if a child younger
than age 18 commits an act that brings him under the jurisdiction of the
court or violates the city curfew, or if the parent fails to take
reasonable steps to prevent a gathering of those under 21 at which alcohol
or other illegal substances are available.
Violators may be fined up to $1,000 and up to $2,500 for damages
and restitution to the court. They may also be ordered to under?go
parental effectiveness education. However, parents are not liable if they
are victims of any perpetrated act the min?ors may commit, or if they
alert authorities to activities covered by the ordinance.
The ordinance is part of an overall strategy that includes community
awareness, effective educa?tion programs, attractive alcohol- and other
drug-free recreation, and expanded resources and referral for services,
says Janet Jones. Accord?ing to Jones, ?the community coalitions have
built a comprehensive approach to reducing the problem of underage
drinking which city leaders support.?
For
more information, contact Janet Jones
by telephone at 503-434-7378×2
or by email [email protected]
.
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