NCJ Number
174615
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 60 Issue: 6 Dated: October 1998 Pages: 118-121-166
Date Published
1998
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Because studies indicate conduct problems often precede the development of alcohol and drug problems in young people, theorists have proposed juvenile delinquency is either a key risk factor for adolescent drug use or the relationship between the two is mediated by common personality characteristics such as impulsivity and lack of behavioral inhibition.
Abstract
Several studies show delinquency is common among adolescents treated for drug-related conduct disorders. An important question regarding the link between drug use and antisocial behavior concerns the etiological significance of each domain. The best evidence that delinquency and associated disruptive behaviors are etiologically linked to drug use is from studies that follow delinquent youth from childhood through adolescence. These studies generally indicate manifestations of delinquency often precede the onset of drug use. Studies have also found young people with serious delinquency problems exhibit disruptive behavior prior to drug use. Given that many adolescent conduct problems and adult antisocial behaviors can result from alcohol and drug use, it is also possible that drug involvement may contribute to the maintenance of adolescent delinquency and to the continuance of antisocial behaviors into adulthood. Regardless of the nature of the temporal order between delinquency and drug use, two key questions must be addressed: (1) whether lowered delinquency can be linked to desistance in drug use; and (2) whether continued conduct problems negatively affect treatment outcomes for drug abuse. The effectiveness of delinquency intervention programs, juvenile drug courts, and juvenile diversion programs is discussed, and additional research on these programs is recommended. 20 references and 1 table