'I want a better life!' Examining juvenile drug treatment court participant characteristics: Is there a profile for success?

摘要

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court programs began operation in 1995; they are at a prime period for scholarly research and attention. Despite nearly two decades of operation, these therapeutic courts have lagged sorely behind their adult counterparts in empirical research. Only recently have professional drug court organizations and experts in the field recognized this gap in the scholarly conversation, as seen by the Special Issue on Juvenile Drug Courts, published by the National Drug Court Institute in 2010.;This research study examines one Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) in Santa Clara County, California. Scholars and practitioners alike have questioned whether certain JDTC participant characteristics might be exhibited at intake that later associate with program successes. Likewise, there is inquiry into possible characteristics at intake that distinguish those youth who do not fare well in the drug court setting. Demographic and motivational variables at intake from the American Society of Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM PPC) assessment were coded using thematic analysis and examined for two compared groups, 20 JDTC graduates and 20 nongraduates between the years 2008 and 2010. Multiple chi-square tests of independence and two Pearson correlation coefficient tests were run using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results were then described from two perspectives: statistical significance and clinical significance.;Very few demographic variables (such as age, grade level, ethnicity) were statistically significantly related to program graduation. However, in Santa Clara County, females appear to graduate close to a statistically significant rate higher than males, 78% as compared to 42%. Similarly, very few of the coded motivational variables revealed statistical significance in relation to program graduations. This finding suggests that both JDTC graduates and nongraduates have similar characteristics and motivational themes for program participation at intake. This finding also suggests that motivational schemes differentiate at some point during treatment. More extensive research is needed to explore these during-treatment motivational shifts.;The "stage of change" variable, which is an indicator of motivational level, was significantly interdependent with "how important" a youth felt addressing his or her substance use issue. Of this youth sample, 72.5% were rated as in the "Contemplative stage of change," indicating a rather high degree of ambiguity about making a change in their lives. However, when coupled with their responses that addressing their substance use patterns were considerably important to them, this study found that JDTC participants were more likely to graduate. This finding is consistent with the Boghosian study (2006) that suggests that those adolescents who are more "consciously aware of both the symptoms and negative consequences of their substance use behavior" may benefit more from JDTC intervention. Further is the suggestion that more sophisticated analyses of the interrelationships amongst ASAM PPC variables are warranted.;The most prominent clinical finding in this study was the theme of relationship expressed by both JDTC graduates and nongraduates. The theme of relationship and the anticipation of receiving help to address their issues wove strongly in and out of the thematic patterns in this sample. This study found that parent involvement was statistically significant in relation to JDTC graduation. JDTC graduates had more parent involvement than the nongraduate comparison group. This finding is consistent with previous literature that indicates the importance of family intervention with delinquent youth, as well as the necessity of developing supportive relationships in adolescence.;Key words: juvenile drug court, drug court, motivational theory, juvenile delinquency, drug court graduates, drug court characteristics.