Top 5 Juvenile Justice Blog Posts | 2012
And this is it, folks, the end of our countdown! We've already shared the top 25, top 20, top 15, and top 10. And now, here are the top 5 blog posts of 2012!
5. Scared Straight Programs Are All Talk
After "Scared Straight" became popular in the 1970s, a number of research reports evaluated children who went through the program compared to control groups and found that many of the youth who attended “scared straight” programs were actually worse off than the youth who had no intervention.
4. Punishment vs. Rehabilitation and the Effects of Trauma on High-Risk Youth
Studies show that 75 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have experienced traumatic events; 50 percent have endured post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Most Popular Juvenile Justice Blog Posts | October 2012
Did you miss some of our blog posts last month? Not to worry - here's a round-up of our most popular posts from October 2012.
10. [NEW REPORT] Community Solutions for Youth in Trouble
Over the past few years, Texas has shifted youth rehabilitation from large state-run facilities to smaller community programs. And they're seeing great results.
9. October is National Youth Justice Awareness Month
Last month, over 20 states are holding events to raise awareness about youth justice issues and the juvenile justice system.
8. 7 Core Principles to Change the Course of Youth Justice
A new article from the New York Law School Law Review examines problems with the juvenile justice system and offers solutions for a more productive youth justice system.
7. NC Teens, Police, Community Join Forces to Stop Bullying Epidemic
Recognizing the need to address bullying in schools, young people in North Carolina partnered with police officers and community members to create a short movie against bullying.
Is One Sniff Worth a Life? [infographic]
According to the Pat Moore Foundation, inhalants are often the first drug used by adolescents. What teens may not know, is that just one huff is enough to kill them. That's why the foundation put together the following infographic, detailing the extrame danger of huffing.
Click through to see the infographic.
JMATE 2012: Bad Kids or Hurt Kids? The Compelling Need for a Trauma Informed Juvenile Justice System
Starting in 2010, there's been a policy shift around drugs, addiction and treatment, and it could not have come at a better time, explained David Mineta (deputy director of demand reduction at ONDCP) at yesterday's JMATE plenary. More Americans are dying from drug use than from any other kind of accidental death, including car crashes and gun wounds. "This is a public health problem," stressed Mineta, before explaining that the ONDCP is prioritizing prevention, treatment and diversion programs in its forthcoming 2012 national drug control strategy. [editor's note: we'll share this as soon as it's out]
"Addiction can be overcome and recovery is absolutely possible," said Mineta. "And we need to make sure our young people have the brightest future possible. It's personal for us."
Following Mineta's moving keynote on addiction and prevention measures, Kris Buffington addressed the issue of trauma and its impact on adolescents.
Buffington explained that traumatic experinces can substantially impact biological, psychological and social development in youth. And unfortunately, symptoms associated with exposure to traumatic events are often misinterpreted as indicating a young person has a behavioral disorder.
This is Your Brain on Prescription Drugs [infographic]
Those working in the substance use treatment and recovery fields should check out this really informative infographic: This is Your Brain on Prescription Drugs:
(click through to see the full infographic)
Addiction Recovery for Young Adults: It's Complicated
Michael Fishman
At the National Collegiate Recovery Conference Wednesday at Kennesaw State University, Michael Fishman, Director of the Young Adult Program at Talbott Recovery Campus in Atlanta, neatly summed up everything he had learned in 22 years of treating addiction in young adults. The recurring theme of his keynote address: It’s complicated.
“Most young adults are generally poly-substance abusers,” he said.
They aren’t just using marijuana; they’re also drinking, Fishman says. It’s not just opioids, it’s opioids and anti-depressants or any other combination. And that complicates the picture for doctors trying to get to know their patient’s true diagnosis.
“The drugs and alcohol may mask the underlying pathology,” Fishman said. Withdrawal symptoms, he added, “cloud the picture,” as do toxicity and detox.
Additionally, many young adults suffering from addiction are also suffering from mental illness of some kind, what Fishman calls “dual-diagnosis.” Depression and anxiety are common in substance abusers and the addiction may begin as an attempt to self-medicate, which Fishman says doesn’t work.
“Ask any young person who self-medicates how that’s working out for them,” he said with a laugh.
New Teen Substance Abuse PSAs Focus on Parents
The Partnership at Drugfree.org recently teamed up with Energy BBDO to release a new set of PSAs warning about the harmful effects of drug and alcohol abuse by adolescents. Unlike previous campaigns, these videos focus specifically on parents' behavior and call on parents to intervene instead of enabling their child's destructive behaviors.
"Denial"
This is your body on drugs (infographic)
Thank you to Angela (a reader of this blog) for sharing this very informative infographic on the effects of drugs on the human body. In her recent comments, Angela mentioned how helpful this information has been in her work with counseling kids against using drugs and wanted to make sure that our readers had access to it, too. (Click through to see the full infographic.)
Prescription drug use among teens can lead to criminal consequences
[Editor's note: Reclaiming Futures is not endorsing Mr. Gunsberg's services.]
Drug use among teens generally continues to decline, according to the annual survey released in December 2011 by the National Institute for Drug Abuse. The report entitled, “Monitoring The Future” shows the results of surveys completed by more than 40,000 students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. The survey was first conducted in 1975 and shows record-low levels of cigarette and alcohol use among teenagers.
The non-medical use of prescription drug use among teens, however, remains alarmingly high. Fifteen years ago, the non-medical use of prescription drugs by teens wasn’t perceived to be a problem by policymakers or law enforcement. Now, the non-medical use of Ritalin is approximately the same as teen use of cocaine, and less than half as prevalent as the use of some other prescription drugs. For example, between eight and ten percent of high school seniors reported that they have used either OxyContin or Vicodin in the past year for non-medical reasons.
Parents and their teens are often blind to the serious legal risks that come from misusing prescription drugs. Such drugs are often perceived as safer to use than illegal drugs because they can be obtained through a prescription. But that’s not how the law sees it.
2011's top 5 stories on juvenile justice and adolescent substance abuse
This is it! Here are the top 5 stories on juvenile justice and adolescent substance abuse from 2011:
#5. Serious juvenile offenders: Do mental health problems elevate risk?
Researchers looked at the relationship between mental health problems and involvement in criminal activity.#4. Infographic: Balt Salts abuse
The Pat Moore Foundation shared an incredibly helpful infographic on bath salts, that describes what they are, how they can be abused and the side affects associated with their use.#3. Most effective juvenile justice policy? Practitioners say it's drug treatment
Dr. Jeffrey Butts surveyed 300 juvenile justice professionals to assess their thoughts on combating and preventing juvenile crime.#2. Scared Straight: Don't believe the hype (facts from CJJ)
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice explained why "Scared Straight" approaches to juvenile justice are ineffective, counterproductive and costly.#1. Beyond "Scared Straight" -- Moving to programs that actually work
Rather than focusing on shaming and terrorizing youth to deter them from future crime, Dr. Laura Nissen made a strong case for investing in evidence-based practices of treatment, supportive services, and community-based recovery support services that teens in the juvenile justice system need to be successful.
