Treating juvenile offenders for marijuana problems.

Aims: This study investigated the characteristics and substance abuse treatment experience of two differentially defined groups of juvenile offenders, those who were referred or otherwise involved with the legal system and those who reported recent criminal behavior.

Design: Six hundred adolescents from the Cannabis Youth Treatment (CYT) Project were classified by criminal justice system involvement and recent criminal behavior. Multivariate and repeated-measures techniques explored substance use frequency, substance use problems, psychological and social risk factors and treatment outcomes as functions of criminal status.

Findings: Adolescents reporting criminal justice system involvement were comparable to adolescents reporting no legal involvement. Adolescents reporting past crime presented with heavier substance use, more substance use problems and greater psychological and environmental risks. Criminally active adolescents had greater reductions in substance use frequency and substance use problems during the course of treatment.

Conclusion: Juvenile offender status, whether defined by criminal justice system involvement or criminal behavior, does not seem to mitigate the potential for adolescents to benefit from manual-guided outpatient treatments.