Drug Identification and Testing in the Juvenile Justice System
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T O EN F J TM U R ST A I U.S. Department of Justice C P E E D B O J C S F A V M Office of Justice Programs F O I N A C I J S R E BJ G O OJJ DP O F PR Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention JUSTICE Summary A Publication of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) was established by the President and Con- gress through the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, Public Law 93–415, as amended. Located within the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice, OJJDP’s goal is to provide national leadership in addressing the issues of juvenile delinquency and improving juvenile justice. OJJDP sponsors a broad array of research, program, and training initiatives to improve the juvenile justice system as a whole, as well as to benefit individual youth-serving agencies. These initiatives are carried out by seven components within OJJDP, described below. Research and Program Development Division Information Dissemination Unit informs individuals develops knowledge on national trends in juvenile and organizations of OJJDP initiatives; disseminates delinquency; supports a program for data collection information on juvenile justice, delinquency preven- and information sharing that incorporates elements tion, and missing children; and coordinates program of statistical and systems development; identifies planning efforts within OJJDP. The unit’s activities how delinquency develops and the best methods include publishing research and statistical reports, for its prevention, intervention, and treatment; and bulletins, and other documents, as well as overseeing analyzes practices and trends in the juvenile justice the operations of the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse. system. Concentration of Federal Efforts Program pro- Training and Technical Assistance Division pro- motes interagency cooperation and coordination vides juvenile justice training and technical assist- among Federal agencies with responsibilities in the ance to Federal, State, and local governments; law area of juvenile justice. The program primarily carries enforcement, judiciary, and corrections personnel; out this responsibility through the Coordinating Coun- and private agencies, educational institutions, and cil on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an community organizations. independent body within the executive branch that was established by Congress through the JJDP Act. Special Emphasis Division provides discretionary funds to public and private agencies, organizations, Missing and Exploited Children’s Program seeks to and individuals to replicate tested approaches to promote effective policies and procedures for address- delinquency prevention, treatment, and control in ing the problem of missing and exploited children. such pertinent areas as chronic juvenile offenders, Established by the Missing Children’s Assistance Act community-based sanctions, and the disproportionate of 1984, the program provides funds for a variety of representation of minorities in the juvenile justice activities to support and coordinate a network of re- system. sources such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; training and technical assistance State Relations and Assistance Division supports to a network of 47 State clearinghouses, nonprofit collaborative efforts by States to carry out the man- organizations, law enforcement personnel, and attor- dates of the JJDP Act by providing formula grant neys; and research and demonstration programs. funds to States; furnishing technical assistance to States, local governments, and private agencies; and monitoring State compliance with the JJDP Act. The mission of OJJDP is to provide national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent juvenile victimization and respond appropriately to juvenile delinquency. This is accomplished through developing and implementing pre- vention programs and a juvenile justice system that protects the public safety, holds juvenile offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services based on the needs of each individual juvenile. Drug Identification and Testing in the Juvenile Justice System Summary Ann H. Crowe American Probation and Parole Association Shay Bilchik, Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention May 1998 i U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Raymond C. Fisher Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Shay Bilchik Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime. ii Foreword Resources represent investments that should be allocated with prudence. The resources of the Office of Juve- nile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) are used to target key aspects of preventing and treating delinquency. Juvenile drug use, one of these critical areas, has risen significantly over the past several years, with one in two high school seniors in 1996 reporting having used illicit drugs. While this problem is of concern in itself, the clear correlation between substance abuse and other forms of delinquency gives further reason for con- cern. The prevalence of juvenile drug use, therefore, burdens our juvenile justice system and places the future of our youth at considerable risk. While we are working to reduce juvenile substance abuse by educating youth about the risks of drug use and reducing the risk factors that contribute to drug use, we must also intervene with youth who are using drugs. The first step to effective intervention, however, is to identify those youth who are engaged in sub- stance abuse. Drug Identification and Testing in the Juvenile Justice System highlights findings from two projects funded by OJJDP to demonstrate innovative ways to identify and intervene with substance-abusing juve- niles. The outcomes described in this Summary should assist juvenile justice agencies seeking to develop programs to identify, screen, and test youth for illicit drug use. Those who share OJJDP’s commitment to protecting our youth and our communities from the tragic toll of drug use will find the information provided in these pages worth reading. Shay Bilchik Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention iii Acknowledgments This document summarizes the development and findings from two projects supported by the Office of Juve- nile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The author wishes to acknowledge the many staff, too numerous to mention, who envisioned and implemented these projects for the American Probation and Parole Association, the American Correctional Association, and the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. Their dili- gence in conducting the projects and reporting the results made this publication possible. Staff in the various demonstration sites who carried out drug identification and testing programs and shared their results and ex- periences also deserve recognition and appreciation. Finally, the support of OJJDP personnel who assisted in each of the projects and were committed to the dissemination of these results is gratefully acknowledged. v Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................................ v Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................................................ x Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Rationale ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Extent of substance abuse among youth ...................................................................................................... 3 Drug-involved youth in the juvenile justice system ................................................................................... 4 Consequences of youth substance abuse ...................................................................................................... 4 Academics ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Physical health ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Mental health .............................................................................................................................................