Amidst a number of programs, policies and practices that surround juvenile substance abuse treatment, it's easy for officials to get lost in theories, rhetoric and research. But there is hope for those who are struggling to find their way across the rocky terrain of rehabilitation.

Bridging the Gap: A Guide to Drug Treatment in the Juvenile Justice System is a guide created by a number of researchers, specialists and experts who combined their research and experience. Detailing the major aspects of juvenile treatment that need to be included in any rehabilitation program, Bridging the Gap was funded by public and private grants.

“Together, we've established 11 things that are the spine of what the juvenile justice system needs to do in order to address the problems of these kids. Our emphasis was really to focus on the backbone of drug and substance treatment,” says Mathea Falco, President of Drug Strategies and co-author of the guide. “Of course, some people will say, ‘I can think of 42 more things that could be included.' But the goal was to create something straightforward and clear. We wanted to create something that was simple, readable, and accessible.”

In 2004, research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that fewer than three percent of arrested juveniles receive treatment for their substance abuse issues. Statistics such as this one motivated Drug Strategies, a non-profit research organization, to address substance abuse issues in order to reduce recidivism rates.

“Substance abuse is at the heart of the recidivism rate; whether a juvenile gets picked up again for selling drugs or dirty urine tests, whether they get sent back to the facility or sent there for the first time,” Falco says. “The great tragedy, as everyone knows, is that these kids become adults with drug problems. Every year, it becomes harder and harder for these offenders to become productive members of society. Many people expect the correctional system to fix all of these issues; we want our corrections system to remake these people when, in fact, we should be worrying about these issues at age 12.”

Building the Bridge

Bridging the Gap builds on the earlier work of Drug Strategies, which was created as a guide for adolescents. Realizing that the nine elements identified in the teen guide could be expanded upon, Falco and her fellow specialists revisited the issue of substance abuse.

“We have added elements [to the guide] because everyone thought they were so important within the context of the juvenile justice system,” Falco explains. “The recognition of co-occurring disorders [for example] is a huge issue. We wanted to separate that and draw attention to it. Everyone felt very strongly that the population of kids in the juvenile justice system had this issue to face.”
 
The experts who worked on Bridging the Gap also realized that another factor in successful substance abuse treatment was age.  Developmental differences, such as drug history, have a large impact on the age-specific needs of youths.

“There are key differences between adolescents and adults, which are basically developmental differences,” says Falco. “Unfortunately, to this day, many drug programs are adult programs [and] these programs are re-labeled and used for juveniles. When you're 13, treatment isn't the same as when you're 40. And if that's not addressed during treatment, it's just not going to work.”

Another developmental difference is found in how information is processed during treatment. Falco says that youngsters are less likely to think in abstract terms and tend to think of things concretely. In order to engage juveniles in treatment programs, Falco says that treatment programs should use concrete, rather than abstract, terminology. 

“You have to engage their young minds in a concrete way,” Falco explains. “As their brains develop, their capacity for abstraction increases. But at young ages, we have to explain things to them in a tangible way.”

Bridging the Family Gap

Beyond issues of individual treatment, juveniles are also greatly impacted by their families and in order to help juveniles develop to their full potential, family involvement is essential. Falco says that the experts and researchers that worked to develop the guide knew it would be important to bring the issue to light.

“The family is really important during substance abuse treatment, no matter what their relationship with the juvenile is,” Falco says. “The context of [a juveniles'] life really involves the family at such a central level that you cannot really address [their] problems unless you at least attempt to address the family as a whole.”

Falco is concerned that juveniles who have substance abuse issues and a lack of family involvement are at a higher risk to enter a downward spiral toward crime and addiction that will affect them later on in life.

“This ties back to recidivism, but let's just be perfectly frank – these years are important for juveniles developmentally. If they're walking around stoned all the time, they aren't going to develop the educational, vocational and social skills they need when they become adults,” Falco says.

With the publication of Bridging the Gap, Falco says that she and her fellow specialists also hope to inspire juvenile justice to change the way youths are treated,  reveal the most pertinent aspects of juvenile substance abuse treatment, and instill hope for the future.

“I'm hoping that people will read this and realize that it represents the best thinking of experts in drug treatment, juvenile justice, and adolescence,” says Falco. “I'm hoping this will turn on some lights in the system and inspire others to go further. That's always my hope – you lay out your best thinking, your best experiences, and then that will serve to increase the energy and focus and effectiveness of people.”

Resources:

Drug Strategies:
http://www.drugstrategies.org

Bridging the Gap: A Guide to Drug Treatment in the Juvenile Justice System:
http://www.drugstrategies.org/pubs.html#top