Capacity Building for Juvenile Substance Abuse Treatment

• NCJ Number: 167251
• Author(s): T Dickinson; A Crowe
• Date Published: December 1997
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-JN-FX-0026
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

After an overview of juvenile delinquency and substance abuse, this bulletin discusses drug testing in the juvenile justice system, youth case management, capacity building in the juvenile justice system, and a project to provide technical assistance in identifying substance-abusing youth and providing appropriate intervention.

Abstract

Since 1992 the already high rate of illicit drug use among youth has been steadily increasing. Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related consequences, poor peer relationships, mental health issues, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Because substance abuse and delinquency are linked, arrest, adjudication, and intervention by the juvenile justice system are eventual consequences for many youth engaged in such behavior. The Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has funded several American Probation and Parole Association projects to investigate innovative and appropriate methods to identify and intervene with substance-abusing youth. These projects have included drug recognition techniques, drug identification and testing, and, most recently, comprehensive intersystem service delivery. The latter emphasized collaboration among juvenile justice, substance-abuse treatment, and other youth-serving systems; it also provided training in intervention skills for juvenile probation and parole line officers. Youth case management is often the primary task of juvenile justice practitioners. Intervention strategies may differ according to where a youth is within the juvenile justice process. The project on capacity building has included the development of an advisory panel, a solicitation for and review of innovative juvenile justice/substance abuse services throughout the country, the development of training and technical assistance materials, the use of training seminars, and the provision of technical assistance. Post-seminar questionnaires administered to seminar participants indicate they have benefited from them. 17 references and 6 listings for further information