This presentation looks at America's current system for dealing with adolescent drug addicts. It discusses what changes need to be made for our country to make improvements.

1. PUNISHMENT AND
TREATMENT FOR
ADOLESCENT DRUG USE
Hannah Langosch

2.  A 2013 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
 25.5% of 12th graders
 19.4% of 10th graders
 8.5% of 8th graders
ADOLESCENT DRUG USE IN AMERICA

3.  What types of drugs are adolescents abusing today?
ADOLESCENT DRUG USE IN AMERICA

4.  Drug Abuse v. Drug Addiction
 Research on the brain
 “Forward momentum is hindered by the complexity of the problem,
but also by the archaic attitudes that are behind the stigmatization of
drug users- the idea that good kids abstain and bad kids use- and the
basic misunderstanding of addiction (the belief that it’s a choice,
whereas we know it’s a disease)” (Sheff, 2014, p. 284).
 Comparing addiction to other illnesses
ADDICTION AS A DISEASE

5.  Primary Research
 Interview with a 22 year old male, first hand experience
 Is incarceration effective?
 Can drug addiction be cured?
 Effective drug treatment qualities?
 Secondary Research
 The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment by Clinton Terry
 Understanding the Demand for Illegal Drugs by Peter Reuter
 Clean by David Sheff
 “Never Too Late: Public Optimism About Juvenile Rehab” by Piquero
 “Can Drug Courts Help to Reduce Jail and Prison Populations?” by
Sevigny
 “Moving Toward Utopia: Vision of Progress for American Jails” by
Stinchcomb
 National Institute on Drug Abuse
RESEARCH METHODS

6.  Original Intention v. Today’s Focus
 Drugs Won: High consumption and increase in arrests
 Individual Suffering
 Negative Impacts on Society and the Criminal Justice System
 Financial Costs
 Overcrowding
 Returning Offenders
THE WAR ON DRUGS

7.  Although addiction cannot be cured, it can be put into
remission.
 What does the general public think about adolescent drug
offenders?
 Initial Costs” Expensive..
 Importance of Follow Up Care
THE BENEFITS OF TREATMENT

8.  Limited Resources
 Funding
 Trained Staff
 Strict Eligibility Requirements
 History of Violence
 Lack of Motivation
 Gang Membership
 Mental Disorders
ISSUES WITH TREATMENT TODAY

9.  Change Society’s View of Addiction
 Provide Funding
 Qualified Workers
 Reduce Eligibility Requirements
 What can we expect?
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

10.  David Sheff’s Novel, Clean.
 David Sheff on Drug Addiction (1:50-2:45):
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GbrDKW94SY
FOR MORE INFORMATION:

11.  Piquero, A., Cullen, F., Unnever, J., Piquero, N., & Gordon, J. (2010). Never
Too Late: Public Optimism About Juvenile Rehabilitation. Punishment and
Society, 12(2), 187-207. doi: 10.1177/1462474509357379.
 Reuter, P. (2010). Understanding the demand for illegal drugs. Retrieved
fromhttp://site.ebrary.com.libweb.ben.edu/lib/benu/docDetail.action?docI
D=10425174.
 Sevigny, E., Pollack, H., Reuter, P., (2013). Can Drug Courts Help to Reduce
Prison and Jail Populations? The Annals of the American Academy of
Political and Social Science, 647(1), 190-212. doi:
10.1177/0002716213476258.
 Sheff, D. (2014). Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s
Greatest Tragedy. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 Stinchcomb, J., Applegate, B., Kerle, K., Stojkovic, S. (2012). Moving
Toward Utopia: Visions of Progress for American Jails. Journal of
Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28(1), 23-41, doi:
10.1177/1043986211432204.
 Terry, W. (2002). Drug courts. In D. Levinson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of crime
and punishment. (pp. 557-560). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications,
Inc. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412950664.n145.
 Volkow, N. D. (2014). National Institute on Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug
Abuse and Addiction. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/.
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