ABSTRACT
For many reasons, intervening with adolescents experiencing substance abuse problems remains a critical need for the juvenile justice system. First, there has been a growing recognition that youths’ participation in crime is closely related to their substance use. Second, youth crime, particularly violent crime, has been increasing among adolescents in recent years; much of this increase can be traced to youth involvement in drug trafficking activities. Third, recent evidence from national surveys indicate an increase in substance use among young people. Of particular concern is an increase in substance use among young adolescents, with its threat of another drug epidemic among these youths in the next 10 years. Fourth, demographic projections indicate a substantial increase in U.S. youth population in the next 10 years, which threatens to place enormous pressure on an already overburdened juvenile justice system.
