Drug Involvement in Criminal Assaults by Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 155038
• Journal: Archives of General Psychiatry Volume: 30 Dated: (May 1974) Pages: 685-689
• Author(s): J R Tinklenberg; P L Murphy; C F Darley; W T Roth; B S Kopell; P Murphy
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 5 pages
• Grant Number(s): AA0498-1
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

This study analyzed patterns of drug use among samples of physically assaultive juvenile offenders and nonassaultive juvenile offenders convicted of other serious crimes in California. The latter group included 30 youths convicted of drug law offenses.

Abstract

The results showed that nonassaultive juvenile offenders used a greater variety of drugs than those who committed serious assaultive crime. However, when serious assaultive crimes were committed, the juvenile offenders involved described themselves more often as having been under the influence of one or more drugs. Alcohol was the drug most often linked with violence among these youths. Secobarbital was the second drug most frequently associated with violent crime, although it was used by these juveniles less often than alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, and psychedelic drugs. The respondents selected secobarbital as the substance most likely to induce or exacerbate aggression. 3 tables and 13 references