Integrating adolescent treatment programs in the juvenile justice system

Role of Drugs as Part of Youth Culture

The use of drugs among the youth has become a normal part of dance and culture of young people. Generally, drugs have been regarded as a part of daily life, particularly among the youth to an extent that it has been involved in many youth cultures. The role of drugs as part of youth culture has been fueled by other components that have become common characteristics of today's youth. Actually, today's youths are becoming synonymous to rave, dance and club cultures, which has also been accompanied by increased drug use. Similar to the 60s, taking drug while in town, clubs or dancing is increasingly becoming the norm in the lifestyles of many young people. Given the prevalence of drugs as a motivator in the youth culture, several initiatives have been established to help deal with the problem. The juvenile justice system has established adolescent treatment programs to help juvenile offenders recover from drug abuse.

Juvenile Justice and Adolescent Treatment System

A juvenile justice system is considered effective if it provides several empirically and professionally approved supervision and treatment programs to the youth within the system (Chassin, 2008). In this case, the system is regarded effective if proper treatment programs are established. Proper treatment programs are those that help youths within and outside the system to work towards establishing positive relationships between these young people and the community. System linkages between juvenile justice and adolescent treatment programs are centered on the development of proper treatment programs for positive relationships between the youth and the community.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adolescent treatment programs, especially those relating to substance abuse, should be incorporated in the justice system through careful treatment planning (Chassin, 2008). Some of the important components to incorporate in the treatment programs include continuity of care and utilizing an appropriate system of rewards and sanctions to promote involvement in pro-social behavior. When designing the treatment programs, juvenile justice system should include an integrated treatment approach, qualified, evaluation of treatment outcomes, suitable developmental planning, and family involvement.

Factors Involved in Engaging Hard-to-Reach Adolescent Populations

Hard-to-Reach adolescent populations are adolescents under-represented in service provision, those who are ignored by or invisible to service providers, and those regarded to be resistant to provided services. There are three major factors involved in engaging hard-to-reach adolescent populations include intervention design and practice, network and partnerships, and staffing (Cortis, Katz & Patulny, 2009). Intervention design and practice entails ensuring interventions will meet the needs of the targeted adolescent population. Network and partnerships help in determining needs, identifying and reaching needs, developing capacity, and promoting continuity. Staffing incorporates enlisting community members and ensuring that intervention measures comprise competent and highly skilled staffs.

In conclusion, drug use and/or abuse has become the norm in today's youth culture as it's accompanied by dance and clubbing. Given this prevalence of drug use, the establishment of suitable treatment programs is crucial towards addressing the problem. The juvenile system has system linkages to adolescent treatment programs with regards to establishing meaningful programs to help in promoting positive relationships between the youth and the community. Some of the clinical and programmatic issues involved in planning these programs include use of medication and separating high-risk and low-risk offenders. Factors that are involved in engaging hard-to-reach adolescent programs include staffing, intervention design and practice, and network and partnerships.