Juvenile Offenders Rarely Get Substance Abuse Treatment
Acomprehensive analysis of substance abuse among juvenile offenders by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) reveals that in 2000, when the most recent detailed data became available, 80 percent of adolescents in state juvenile justice systems had abused alcohol or drugs.
The researchers defined their criteria for substance abuse as a youth being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while committing the offense, testing positive for drugs, being arrested for committing an alcohol or drug offense, admitting to having substance abuse or addiction problems, or sharing some combination of these characteristics, according to a CASA press release announcing the findings.
In addition, drug or alcohol abuse among youth was implicated in 64 percent of violent offenses, 72 percent of property offenses, and 81 percent of assaults, vandalism, and disorderly conduct, CASA pointed out.
The 177-page report, “Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice, and the Children Left Behind,” also found that while 1.9 million of the 2.4 million juvenile arrests in 2000 involved drug or alcohol abuse, only 4 percent of those with substance abuse problems received treatment for them while in the juvenile justice system.
This “criminal neglect,” CASA noted, contributed to recidivism as these untreated youngsters aged; at least 30 percent of adults in prison for felony crimes were incarcerated as juveniles, according to CASA.
Joseph Califano Jr., CASA's chair and president and a former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (the predecessor of the Department of Health and Human Services), said in the press release, “We are releasing [these juveniles] without attending to their needs for substance abuse treatment and other services—punishing without helping them to get back on track.”
Califano observed that there are 51 juvenile justice systems in the United States, with no national standards for recommended practices or accountability. He called for “a complete overhaul of the juvenile justice system to assure that each child receives a comprehensive assessment of needs, substance abuse treatment, and other appropriate services.”
The report also calls for expanding federal grant programs for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention and making the grants conditional on the states' efforts to reform their juvenile justice systems. Other recommendations urge these actions:
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Training all juvenile justice staff, including juvenile court judges, law enforcement personnel, and other court staff, in how to recognize and deal with substance-using offenders.
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Making treatment, health care, education, and job training programs available to children in juvenile justice systems.
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Creating a model juvenile justice code to set a standard of practices and accountability for states in handling juvenile offenders.
Shortly after the CASA report was released in October, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced $23.3 million in grants to support substance abuse treatment and related services for juveniles and young adults returning to the community from incarceration.
“By helping our youth avoid drugs and alcohol, we can help prevent them from committing crimes and returning to prison,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a press release.
SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie commented, “The grants will be used to form community partnerships that will plan, develop, and provide services in the community to treat substance abuse and provide other services.”
Curie added, “We will build on community ties to keep these young people away from drugs and moving into training or jobs that can anchor them and lead to a life free from drugs and free from crime.”
The CASA report, “Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice, and the Children Left Behind,” is posted online at<www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/shop/item.asp?itemid=73>.▪
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Published online: 19 November 2004
Published in print: November 19, 2004
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A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calls for an urgent overhaul of the juvenile justice system.
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