An 8 page research paper that includes a brief abstract, which investigates literature on alcohol and drug consumption in order to discern the relationship between these factors and juvenile involvement in criminal behavior. First of all, the writer summarizes four relevant research studies; then, findings are summarized and discussed and conclusions are drawn, which argue that, rather than a causal effect of criminal behavior, alcohol and drug consumption is a symptom of the social and mental health issues with which juvenile offenders have to cope. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
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are summarized and discussed and conclusions are drawn, which argue that, rather than a causal effect of criminal behavior, alcohol and drug consumption is a symptom of the social and
mental health issues with which juvenile offenders have to cope. Introduction There is no doubt that a statistical relationship exists between alcohol and illegal drug use and crime; however,
establishing a definitive causal relationship between the two phenomena is not possible. Alcohol/illicit drugs appear to a component in the motivation behind a great deal of criminal behavior. The following
discussion focuses on the relationship between alcohol and illicit drug use and criminality in order to order to determine what conclusions can be drawn from the statistics that connect the
two phenomena, with a particular focus on how this issue affects the lives of juveniles and their involvement in the criminal justice system. Statement of the problem While substance
abuse is a continuing problem among both juveniles and adults, particular focus has been paid to the use of alcohol and illicit drug use among young people due to the
believe that juvenile alcohol and drug abuse may be more problematic among young people than adults due to developmental issues, as well as the potential for long-term negative effects on
health and well-being (Neff and Waite, 2007). While illicit substance usage peaked in the late 1970s, recent statistics indicate that this problem is once more on the rise, particularly among
adolescents. The National Survey of Drug Use and Health indicates that marijuana use by 12- to 17-year-olds, while declining between 1979 and 1991, is increasing and reached an all-time high
of 21.9 percent in 2001 (Neff and Waite, 2007. Likewise, cocaine use reached a new peak in 2002. Furthermore, adolescent alcohol and drug use disorders are not only widespread,
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