Term Paper on "Juvenile Drug Abusers"

Term Paper 7 pages (2362 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Juvenile Drug Abusers

Juvenile drug abuse is a continued problem in the United States despite pervasive education programs geared towards prevention. As Mutale (2003) notes, "the widespread use of illicit drugs and its association with physical and psychological morbidity, mortality and social disabilities has made substance misuse among young people a significant public health problem" (p. 3). For this reason, juvenile drug abusers are the target group for the outlined treatment strategy. A comprehensive portfolio of information regarding juvenile drug abusers in the juvenile justice system, is presented. This information includes profile and risk factors, information regarding juvenile drug abusers and corrections and detention, and the juvenile court system. Prevention programs will be discussed. The guiding principles used to develop the treatment strategy will be overviewed. and, lastly a family-centric treatment strategy itself will be reviewed.

Juvenile Drug Abusers

Introduction:

Juvenile drug abuse is a continued problem in the United States despite pervasive education programs geared towards prevention. As Mutale (2003) notes, "the widespread use of illicit drugs and its association with physical and psychological morbidity, mortality and social disabilities has made substance misuse among young people a significant public health problem" (p. 3). For this reason, juvenile drug abusers are the target group for the outlined treatment strategy. A comprehensive portfolio of information regarding juvenile drug abusers in the juvenile justice system, is presented. This information includes profile and risk factors, information regarding juvenile drug abusers and corrections and detention, and the juvenile court system. Prevention programs will be discussed. The guiding principles used to develop the treatment strategy will be overviewed. and, lastly a family-centric treatment strategy itself will be reviewed.

Profiles and Risk Factors of Juvenile Drug Abusers:

Drug use by young people has increased dramatically. Although drug use in general has declined over the last decade, 30-day marijuana use among young people in the United States increased 99% among 12th graders and 154% among 10th graders between 1992 and 1997 (cited Kumpfer, Alvarado, & Whiteside, 2003, p. 1760). There is a great diversity amongst the risk factors and profiles concerning juveniles and drug abuse.

Even their patterns of abuse are greatly varied as well.

How juvenile offenders begin to abuse substances and whether or not they evolve from simple experimentation to chronic addiction varies widely. According to Lexcen and Redding (2000), much of this progression depends on psychosocial factors, as well as psychobiology, and underlying mental illness. For those juveniles with less serious drug abuse problems, there is a more distinct pattern of initiation to drugs. Typically this pattern begins with alcohol use, which progresses to experimentation with marijuana, and eventually more illicit substances. These juveniles often report using alcohol to first cope with problems and to escape from unpleasant or unmanageable feelings.

In contrast, more serious drug abusers may begin their substance abuse with marijuana before alcohol, or even other illicit drugs before marijuana. The more serious the drug use, the more serious the delinquency. Juveniles who use alcohol are typically identified with general delinquency, whereas juveniles who abuse more illicit drugs such as cocaine or amphetamines are more likely to commit violent crimes and commit a greater number of offenses (Lexcen & Redding, 2000).

Researchers often debate the causes of substance abuse. Family and peers are two of the most prevalent risk factors contributing to adolescent substance abuse (Bilchik, 1997).

Some have theorized that juveniles may model drug or alcohol abuse from parental behavior, with poor parenting skills contributing to substance abuse.

Two generations (parents and grandparents) with alcohol abuse or dependence problems tend to produce greater delinquency at an earlier age and more severe drug abuse. The most recent research suggests that a poor relationship with parents, particularly the father, may be a substantial risk factor for drug abuse. Children whose parents are involved in their lives and who provide positive influences by modeling anti-drug attitudes and behaviors are less likely to abuse substances (Lexcen & Redding, 2000).

In addition to parental influences, peer influences are often an important component to the risk factors associated with substance abuse in juveniles.

Adolescence is a time for transition and is often associated with increased risk-taking behaviors as juveniles seek independence and peer values take on more importance. Although this is developmentally normal, drug use places youth at danger for physical and mental health problems, as well as lost employment and educational opportunities, breakdown of relationships, and increased contact with the criminal justice system (Stathis, Letters, Doolan, & Whittingham, 2006, p. 150).

When a juvenile's peers have a greater prevalence of marijuana use, researchers surmise that there is a greater likelihood for the juvenile to partake in drug use. Lexcen and Redding (2000) put forth that this due possibly to the juvenile seeing other important individuals doing drugs, which positively reinforces the concept of drug use. When drug use occurs at younger ages, this problem is compounded as the juvenile has decreased contact with peers that don't use drugs, increased contact with delinquent peers involved in delinquent behavior, and decreased involvement in desirable activities. This early drug use may also be preceded by classic psychopathy personality characteristics including: lack of empathy, shallowness, and guilty and interpersonal manipulativeness. Although it is still up for debate whether or not marijuana is a stepping stone for more illicit drug use, Lexcen and Redding states that juveniles who begin drug use before or about the age of thirteen are most at risk for becoming abusers.

Corrections, Detentions and the Juvenile Court System:

According to the United States Department of Justice the number of juveniles that abuse drugs, that have become involved in the juvenile justice system has increased significantly.

In fact, juvenile arrests for drug abuse violations increased by 120%, between the years of 1992 and 1996. For this reason, Bilchik (1997) concludes that "the juvenile justice system must develop and use innovative strategies for early identification and intervention for juvenile drug offenders entering the system if we are to prevent - or at least reduce - the serious consequences that continued adolescent substance abuse poses for troubled youth, their families, and communities."

There has been a high level of co-morbidity between mental health and substance use disorders, according to Stathis, Letters, Doolan, and Whittingham (2006).

This has led to closer ties between mental health and substance treatment services, included specialized needs for people in the criminal justice system.

This generalized association across age boundaries has led to services to juveniles in detention who have been identified to be at risk of both substance abuse and mental health challenges (p. 150).

The connection between substance abuse and criminal offenses is much more complex than that between violence and crime. An Australian study of offenders indicated that 24% of all offenders claim to have committed their offense because of a drug abuse problem. Twenty-nine percent were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when committing their offense. It was discovered that the link between drug use and crime was even greater than adults. Approximately 70% of juveniles, in the study, stated that they were under the influence of drugs at the time they committed their offense.

In fact, researchers have found a link between specific substance use and subsequent recidivism (Stathis, Letters, Doolan, & Whittingham, 2006, p. 150).

It has also been discovered that young people who are detained or arrested by police have a higher incidence of substance use than the general juvenile population. However, this incidence is less than youths who are actually in detention. This finding suggests that juveniles that are in detention are at the extreme end of the spectrum for substance abuse. This finding highlights the need for effective drug and alcohol programs for young people who are in corrections facilities (Stathis, Letters, Doolan, & Whittingham, 2006, p. 150).

Historically, the juvenile detention program has been utilized to provide temporary and safe custody for juveniles "who are accused of conduct subject to the jurisdiction of the court who require a restricted environment for their own or the community's protection" ("Juvenile detention," 2005, p. 11). Yet, recently the use of juvenile detention as a sentence has increased, following a statutory changes in many jurisdictions authorizing such use.

The court's desire to impose addition sanctions on youths who violate the law or a court order, has been the catalyst of this increased usage.

Oftentimes juvenile detention as a dispositional option is used because there simply is not other, more preferable option available to the court systems. This increased usage as a dispositional option places the emphasis on punishment as opposed to behavioral change. and, with this change in focus comes other challenges for the juvenile detention centers. Populations within the detention centers become mixed and may adversely affect treatment or programming. Increased usage as a dispositional option may exacerbate overcrowding within juvenile detention centers.

This option discourages the development of more appropriate and less costly alternatives to placement in a juvenile detention center. and, "use of juvenile detention as a dispositional option may result in the negative influence… READ MORE

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