As the Juvenile Division Chair of the Marion County Superior Court, Judge Marilyn Moores has witnessed many devastating cases, but none like those that have come into her courtroom recently.
“The children of Indianapolis are in a crisis. A crisis not of their making, powerless to fix and one of absolute huge proportions,” said Moores.
The crisis she’s referring to is the heroin epidemic ravaging the city. This epidemic is leaving Indianapolis residents addicted to the drug and their children in Moores’ courtroom in need of court-appointed care.
“In my 10 years on the bench, I have never seen anything like this. And those in the know tell me that the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s was still nothing like this,” said Moores.
She describes cases where she’s seen heroin-addicted babies spending weeks or months in neonatal intensive care units while they are weaned off the drug. There have been instances where the drug-addicted mother never returns to the hospital to reclaim her newborn baby. The judge has also seen cases where children have witnessed their parents shoot heroin while sitting in the back seat of a car; or kids waking up for school, only to discover their mother or father is dead from an overdose.
The Marion County Juvenile court is responsible for youth delinquency and children in need of services (CHINS) cases. This latter group involves cases where parents have allegedly abused or neglected their children. In many of these cases, children have had to be removed from their parents’ care and home.
Almost solely due to Indianapolis’ heroin problem, Moores said in 2014 Marion County Juvenile Court experienced a 45 percent increase (or 3,492 kids) in the filings of CHINS cases.
This is 1,000 more than in 2013. And in the first quarter of this year, there has been a 62 percent increase over 2014. The month of March alone had 419 new cases.
“This is the highest number we’ve ever experienced in this court,” said Moores. “And anybody I talk to outside of the law enforcement, medical, court, or child welfare community has no idea this is occurring. The citizens of Indianapolis deserve to know what’s happening. This tsunami is showing no signs of ebbing whatsoever.”
Valerie Washington, deputy director and chief financial officer of Indianapolis’ Department of Public Safety said her department has data on adults who use heroin, but Moores’ information helped open her eyes to what kids are experiencing because of their parents’ drug problems.
She added that to help curb the issue, some Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers are using Narcan, an “antidote” used in the treatment of a heroin overdose. In 2014, it’s estimated that officers saved over 40 lives by using Narcan; and the Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services has saved more than 1,000 lives by administering Narcan.
“We’re working to roll out Narcan administration to all six of our IMPD districts. By the end of the year, all of our IMPD district officers will be trained and able to administer Narcan if they encounter a subject who is suffering from an overdose,” said Washington.
Washington said her office is also reaching out to kids to warn them of the dangers of drugs. The Indy Public Safety Foundation recently partnered with a group called Overdose Lifeline, a support group for families who have lost a loved one to an addiction or heroin overdose. The foundation funded a DVD educational video for youth.
“We used high school students in an effort to appeal to their peers and middle school students. This week IMPD officers went into classrooms to show the DVD and discussed with students the dangers of heroin and other drugs.
While DPS addresses the heroin issue, Moores and Child Advocates have created the “We Care About Indy’s Kids” campaign, which serves as a call to the community to volunteer to help this population of children who find themselves in courtrooms due to their parents’ troubles.
One way concerned members of the community can offer aid is to become a volunteer through Child Advocates. Through this service, volunteers and staff act as childrens’ “voice” in court. Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASAs regularly visit with kids and report to the court about the children as well as offer their recommendations for the best course of action and kids’ best interest.
“As you can guess, when we started with 1,000 more children than we had in 2013, our resources were tapped. We are in great need of people in our community to step up and help,” said Cindy Booth, director of Child Advocates.
Booth said over the course of a year, Child Advocates has some 500 volunteers. Due to the boost in cases, she wants to add 200 more volunteers. After training, volunteers are expected to visit with children six to eight hours a month, depending on how many children are in the case.
She also said about 50 percent of the children Child Advocates serve are African-American. While the heroin epidemic isn’t hitting the Black community the same as other races, Booth said children need CASAs who look like them. Black kids are faced with issues such as domestic violence, crack cocaine, homelessness and parents’ untreated mental health problems.
“Wouldn’t it be great to know an African-American boy has an African-American man to talk to and help them in this tough situation,” said Booth.
Booth said the agency is also planning a special program that involves African-American churches getting involved with this cause.
In addition to volunteering as a CASA, foster parents are also needed.
Peggy Surbey, director and regional manager of region 10 office of the Indiana Department of Child Services said being a foster parent is a rewarding experience. Potential temporary caregivers are given an information session where they can truly understand the responsibility of a foster care parent. In addition, those who commit are thoroughly trained.
“This crisis is real. Indianapolis is drowning in a sea of heroin and its children are suffering. These children are calling out for citizens to help them. I hope the Hoosiers I know from this great city are going to answer that call,” said Moores.
For more information, contact Child Advocates at (317) 205-3055 or visit childadvocates.net; the Indiana Department of Child Services at (888) 631 – 9510 or visit in.gov/dcs.
