PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMP JOURNEY
A COMMUNITY
SAFETY NET
BY JEANA DURST
Nine out of 10 people who come through
Shelby County Drug Court began using drugs
as a child. Let that sink in. One organization
in Shelby County is taking a novel approach to
eliminating drug addiction by reaching children
and families before the grip of addiction is so
strong that it overtakes and ruins lives. Compact
2020 is directed by the Shelby County District
Attorney, the County Manager, and the Shelby
County Sheriff. With partners in the school system
and specialized prevention teams who understand
the pulse of the community, you might say they are
the eyes and ears of the community, watching out
for all children, and helping parents gain awareness.
“Compact 2020 is like the Marvel Universe
bringing together many different investigators and
professionals,” says Nathan Kendrick, assistant
director of Compact 2020.
Kendrick, who is a lieutenant at the Shelby
County Sheriff ’s Department and has history
profoundly understands the issues surrounding
children and drug abuse. The message he has
for parents is this: Compact 2020 is not a law
enforcement program. It’s about prevention and
early intervention. “Our goal is to never have
to arrest a kid and to put juvenile court out of
24 Bham Family March 2020
business,” Kendrick says.
The idea for this program began in 2016 when
the opioid crisis was reaching a peak and countless
kids were being lost to its grip. That’s when the
Shelby County Commissioner, the Sheriff, and
the DA met and decided that more could be done
for early intervention. “The work they did laid the
groundwork for today,” Kendrick says.
One of the most important aspects is the
partnership with Central Alabama Wellness; the aim
is to be therapeutic, not punitive, for the kids in need
of help. With a goal to help restore these children
to a healthier path, Compact 2020 is focused on
solutions. “We had a lot of programs in place to
help with drug prevention, but we knew that there
were gaps,” Kendrick says. Unlike traditional law
enforcement in which you build probable cause and
arrest offenders, Compact 2020 provides resources
for kids facing potential addiction problems.
As Kendrick points out that “You can’t
separate mental wellness from drug issues.” He
says it’s important for parents to acknowledge
that when their son or daughter speaks of
tremendous stress, to take it seriously because
the need to escape stress is a very real reason that
kids turn to drugs to escape. Consider this: When
most of us were growing up, we had to face peer
pressure at school and in social situations; however,
when we came home, we were in a safe zone and