ABSTRACT
Over the past 30 years, the "war on drugs" has resulted in a large number of drug-abusing offenders being processed in the criminal justice system. The prevalence of drug and alcohol use among juvenile offenders creates many challenges for the already overburdened juvenile justice system. One possible avenue for the treatment of substance-abusing juvenile offenders is residential treatment. Thus, the residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) grants represent the first national mandate to affirm the value of treatment for the criminal justice population. A recent evaluation conducted by the National Institute of Justice revealed that the majority of operational programs were directed at adults, with 30 percent targeting juvenile offenders. The chapter provides a unique perspective of a modified therapeutic community designed for juvenile offenders who were incarcerated within a secure residential facility by describing the characteristics of the youth who participated in the treatment.
