NCJ Number
119155
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
In youths, delinquency and substance abuse should be considered part of a pattern of unconventional behaviors that may also include impaired family and social relationships, impaired school performance, teenage pregnancy, and other antisocial behaviors.
Abstract
Trying to define which behavior came first or what the causes were is often less productive than determining the areas in which the youth is developing problems. The family, the school, and the criminal justice system also must become more sensitive and more responsive to the needs of these troubled young people as early as possible. Physicians and other health personnel may also represent sources of early identification of adolescents at risk. The criminal justice system represents a crucial environment in which to develop imaginative, humane, and effective interventions for substance abuse, because a large proportion of youths who come into contact with it have drug problems or are likely to develop them. To be effective, treatment must be sufficiently comprehensive to address the various problem areas. The drug problem cannot be addressed effectively unless the psychological and social aspects of a youth's life are considered as well. Rather than simply trying to tell youthful substance abusers what to do, we must develop resources and methods to help them decide what they may do with honor and the hope of reward. For all youth, prevention programs and early treatment measures are essential and must be accessible before established patterns of abuse have developed and before the adverse consequences of these behaviors become evident. 40 references and discussion of psychoactive effects and adverse consequences associated with common drugs of abuse.