TEENAGE DRUG ABUSE CAUSING HIGH INCARCERATION RATES IN THE UNITED STATES:

ABSTRACT:
In today’s society young people are increasingly being introduced to drugs at an early age due to increased level of technology, improved living standards and high income. Teens also tend to abuse a substance based on its accessibility. Studies show that teens who abuse drugs are 59% more likely to be arrested as juveniles, 28% more likely to be arrested as adults and 30% likely to commit violence crimes.Lester, S.J.; Baggott, (1999)
Teens start using drugs as experimentation mainly introduced by their peers. Unfortunately there is a close connection betweenthe use of drugs and crime as most abusers look for funds to satisfy their ever increasing appetite for the substance. Lester, S.J.; Baggott, (1999)
Intoxication of drugs clouds judgment. Hence making the abuser commit offences which they did not plan to commit. Such offences includes; robbery with violence, domestic violence, physical and sexual assaults.
Latest research done by the National Drug Control Policy (NDCP) shows that nearly 40% of teenagers who use drugs have served sentences at federal prisons80% were sentenced for drug offenses, the rest 20% were accelerated for drug possession. Lester, S.J.; Baggott, (1999)
What are the problem/causes?
The main course of drug abuse happens to teenagers who have had previous experiences of physical or sexual abuse at a tender age. Such teen are likely to abuse drugs over the years in efforts to forget horrible experiences faced in the hands of the abuser. Teens are often scared to talk about their experiences as most offenders are people close to them. An estimate 30% of the abusers are relatives, 60% are other acquaintances such as neighbors and family friends, strangers account for only 10%.
Teens on drugs tend to commit crime as a result of physiological and social defects in their growth. After the abuse most of them feel worthless unwanted or unloved, this results in behaviors such as rude attitude, loud yelling and distraction of property as a means to fight back on the pain they are going through.
Lack of communications between parents and teens greatly contributes to teens talking drugs. the Neglected teens normally feel that their parents or guardian don’t care hence they do pick up bad behaviors such as drug abuse resulting to 50% of them being arrested as juveniles as they tend to commit violent crimes.
Peer pressure, curiosity and the need to fit in with the rest of the group and try new things makes teens become targets of addiction. Most teens are have a lot of free time with less supervision this makes them have experimental desires and an urge to find out what is feels like to get drunk. Restless teen usually get into all sorts of trouble as they get arrested on drug possession and even fire arms.
Poor judgment and delinquency in teens normally increases substance abuse. This is closely associated with violence causing fear in the community hence increasing burdens in the already scarce resources. Teens who use drugs normally form gangs, child pornography and other related social and criminal injustices.
Individual and social implications of drugs.
Teens with persistent drug problems are normally accompanied by a cocktail of health problems in there adult life such as chronic head, pelvic and abdominal pain. Drug abuse in teenagers have a least one psychiatric die of disorder at the age of 21. Such problems include anxiety, suicide attempts and eating disorders. Drug Abuse in teens also exposes them to contract HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases as they share injectable due to poor judgment.
Poor grades in school are also a major factor contributed by drug abuse. Poor class attendance and lack of concentration, bad grades where the child used to perform well and loss of interest in school activities are among the signs that should watch for in students.
Crime and drugs are closely related. When addiction occurs property crime increases while narcotic use is normally increased. Teens who are involved in hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana on a daily bases increases criminality, the community usually have no choice but to accept the reality of it in their neighborhood. With an increase in violence in their streets and bad influence, drugs increases terrorist activities due to the illicit trade. Terrorists use the funds to expand their activities and often recruit young people to peddle the drugs in schools.
Experts Opinions:
Adverse teenage experience to drug study was a long running research into the relationship between drug use and its effects in teenagers. The research included all forms of drugs introduced to teens at an early age. The initial phase of the study was conducted in California from 1994-1998 showed that heavy drug users were likely to commit serious offences such as murder, burglary and rape.
The Adverse Teenage Experience (ATE) study, in which 7000 teens between the ages of 11to17 years suggests that use of drugs at an early age resulted to poor performance amount teenagers. Data from the study also showed that youth who tested positive for at least one drug ranged from 19% in San-Francisco to 58% percent in Washington, D.C.data showed that substance abuse led to arrest, adjudication and intervention by the juvenile justice. The ATE program found that male teens arrested for drug possession had the highest drug concentrations in their urine test done.
The study also found a strong relationship between the number of adverse experiences (including physical and sexual abuse) had a relation in teens used drugs as a means to escape trouble at home. The teens examined had long term effects of drugs as they acquired heart disease, cancer, and diabetes in their adult hood due to the long abuse of drugs from a tender age.
What has society done about this problem? Identifying substance abuse is one of the important steps for intervening about substance abuse and criminal behavior. Drug testing should help youth to overcome denial of the behavior in schools as parents and teachers will help achieve and maintain recovery Drug identification will help the police achieve solution to the problem including community protection. Teenagers will also have accountability and developskills and competencies that will help police departments and help teens become productive members of society. Members of communities have come up with ways to stop abuse by;
Introducing family-based programs that enhance family bonding in relationships and discussing and enforcing family policies on substance abuse. Parental monitoring and supervision are critical for drug prevention. Drug education and information for parents and caregivers enables teens to learn about drugs.
Prevention programs for elementary, middle or junior high school students which targets to teach about social-economical teachings that address drug abuse it also enables small kids to adequately communicate, have self-control and not to fall into pressure by peers and to form anti-drug attitudes.(Carroll FIand Partilla 2001)
The Community prevention programs also aims at reaching populations in multiple numbers such as churches, hospitals, schools and the media. Communities have also setup structures that looks at information, skills and strategies of the program for proper service delivery.
Howare public policies and other less formal responses working? 
The causes of adolescent’s substance abuse are many that is why systems have been developed by the government which focuses on  effective interagency coordination and collaborative responses that will allow scarce resources to be used to serve the growing number of substance abuse in youth.
Local government has built on existing resources such as drug abuse prevention program to determine gaps in addressing community needs and identifying resources. The use of information obtained by the community drug abuse assessment can be used as a baseline for measuring change over a long period of time.Carroll FI and Partilla (2001)
Solution to the problem:
One of the greatest solution to the problem is to measure the nature and extent of drug abuse in the community andamong teenagers. This will bring more understanding on the latest patterns and trends teenagers are using to use drugs. Collection of data on the risk and protective factors throughout the community will enable the government understand the community’s culture and how this affects drug abuse.Community leaders who work in drug abuse, prevention, treatment, law enforcement and mental health should be consulted in order to find solutions.
Parents should learn about community and school activitieswhich may interest your child this includes sports, volunteering, social or church events to get them more involved and less bored. To avoid crime and drugs teens should be associated good mentors. Looking for positive role models who are ready to provide counseling to teenagers in school who are having bad relationships with parents at home. Family members who have teens already into drug abuse should be provided with psychotherapy and counseling about family issues such as violence, divorce, illness so as they may not feel alone and turn into bad behavior.
Negative and positive consequences
Talking about drug abuse helps both the parents and the teenagers to discuss about the problem that made the teen start taking drugs since 40%of the teens who get drugaddiction are as a result of curiosity, stress, peer pressure and escape of problems.
The main advantage of preventing abuse and other problem behaviors is that communities can benefit due to cost-effectiveness and intervention brought forth by government to strengthen family who have their teens addicted. Since teens who deal drugs are likely to get arrested over drug related problems funds to increase security in the neighborhood is increased so as to improve security.
Negative consequences of drug abuse are; families get destroyed due to drugs. There is usually little trust between parents and teens associated with drugs as the steal money and commit crime to get money that will finance their addiction. Drug addiction reduces performance in school and other activities. It is also expensive to treat an addiction this leaves families penniless after treatment has been done at rehabilitation centers.
Conclusion:
Prevention of drug use programmes are effective if there are professionals who will help teens reduce their drug use. Teens in the community can be helped to reduce drug use by doing the following:

1. Parents should make it difficult for teens to access drugs- this is through reducing weekly or daily allowance they use in school.Introducing family-based programs that enhance family bonding in relationships and discussing and enforcing family policies on substance abuse. Parental monitoring and supervision are critical for drug prevention. Drug education and information for parents and caregivers enables teens to learn about drugs.
2. Creating a distraction of daily activities teens do which increases their chance of drug use; i.e. hanging out with friends who are taking drugs
3. Counseling- specialists who deal with substance abuse will best help as they will get proper treatment of the disease.

 
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