NCJ Number
228771
Journal
Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: 2009 Pages: 359-378
Date Published
October 2009
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the ecological factors related to substance use service referrals made through Tennessee's juvenile courts.
Abstract
The study lends support to the hypothesis that some factors associated with rural populations (density of service networks, average county socioeconomic status (SES), and contact between the courts and mental health providers) are related to a decreased probability of referral to substance abuse treatment. Results indicate that rates of referral to substance abuse treatment were shown to vary widely among the juvenile courts across the State, ranging from 0 to 28 percent with an average of 4.4 percent. This rate was much lower than the estimated 42 percent of detained youths in Tennessee with a known substance use problem. This is likely reflective of the fact that Tennessee lacks systematic, formal, consistent mental health and substance use screening in juvenile facilities, and that some officials believe that substance abuse services are completely unavailable in some counties. This study highlights that juvenile courts and treatment personnel, as well as policymakers concerned with publicly funded substance abuse services, should monitor referral and access patterns for these vulnerable groups and launch coordinated efforts to improve access to substance abuse treatment for female and minority adolescents. Data were collected from 39,054 individuals; 3 databases were used that corresponded with the different levels of interest: youth, court, and county. Tables and references