The Cherokee County Juvenile Court wants more space to operate.

Judge John Sumner said building two more courtrooms for the court in the Justice Center in downtown Canton is the top goal for 2010.

"We are just about finished with the plans," Sumner said, noting a timeline for construction has not yet been set.

The courtrooms will be built in the third-floor space vacated by the county Board of Commissioners when they moved to the new Administration Building at The Bluffs in Canton.

Sumner said he would like to see construction get started as soon as possible, as he and Judge Tony Baker share Courtroom 2B. The move, he added, would open up Courtroom 2B for other court system needs.

The juvenile court also has a small room on the ground floor that is used for special cases and overflow, "but it is very small. There is just one pew for sitting," Sumner said.

"We are managing, but we want to expand," Sumner said about the limited work space.

Sumner said this year he also is working on a system that will supplement the court's Teach One to Lead One program, a 13-week character building course for juveniles. The program, he said, lacks a way to measure the child's performance after they complete it.

Also for the program, he is working on a partnership with the Optimists Club for members to serve as mentors to its graduates.

The number of delinquent juvenile cases in the county continues to grow, Sumner said.

In 2008, the court had 1,862 cases, 796 of which were delinquent juvenile cases. Last year, the court had 1,806 cases, 929 of which were delinquent juvenile cases.

Identifying more effective anti-drug and alcohol programs also is on his to-do list, Sumner said, as he is seeing juveniles abusing drugs at younger ages.

"Any teens using drugs is of great concern," he said.

Baker said the court is looking into extending family counseling sessions as well.

"The feedback we get from people is that they do enjoy it and that it helps them," Baker said about the service.