NCJ Number
246477
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 54 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2014 Pages: 281-297
Date Published
March 2014
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article presents the results of a study examining the purpose and scope of adolescent drug treatment in England.
Abstract
Using the results of interviews with drug workers and adolescents involved with drug treatment services in England, this study examined how the strategies of risk, welfare, and responsibility operate within the drug-treatment setting and whether drug treatment programs for adolescents are being used as a means of social control. The study found that youth involved with these drug treatment programs were not offered the opportunity to accept responsibility for their actions rather the programs were set up such that participants were forced to choose between treatment or custody, resulting in many adolescent opting for treatment, or the lesser of two evils. The findings also revealed that the drug treatment sessions were not confined only to drug use but that they also took into account the general welfare of the drug user, with counsellors being concerned both for the current welfare of the users as well as the future risks that their behavior posed. The study also found that several of the interviewees were concerned about the net-widening effect of the drug treatment programs wherein the possibility exists for the justice system to intervene in the lives of young people before risky behaviors develop in the future. Implications for policy are discussed. References