NCJ Number
196061
Date Published
2001
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This booklet, given to family court personnel attending a training program on drug testing in the juvenile justice system, contains the bones of the presentation in the form of the overhead projection screens outline used.
Abstract
The objectives of this training program, presented to family court personnel, are to clarify testing policies and procedures, discuss technology for conducting testing, select appropriate youth for testing, define and describe desired responses to tests, and show how drug testing can be used to effect behavior change. The overheads include statistical graphs profiling juvenile drug users; the biopsychosocial development of youth; pros, cons, and technology of biological testing; use of immunoassay; components of a drug testing policy; descriptions of drugs of choice for youth; passive exposure; tainting of specimen collection and safeguards against tampering; testing reliability and validity factors; legal issues; coordinated response to drug test results; a step approach to sanctions and incentives; policies and practices for responding to drug test results; creating a helping alliance with youth; and drug use stages and responses. This booklet concludes with examples of specific case histories and charts of duration of detectability, risk factors for adolescent behavior, developmental tasks, protective factors against delinquency, and recommended test cut-off levels of certain drugs.