Drug Use among Delinquents - Research Paper Example

Research Paper on Drug Use Research Paper on Drug Use Drug use is prevalent among delinquents. Most of the juveniles who find themselves on the wrong side of the law are victims of drug abuse. Several reasons push children to adopt drug abuse as a means of coping with the pressures of life. Some of these reasons are voluntary while others are avoidable by the minors. Apart of driving the children into acting against the law, drug use has a wide range of other effects it inflicts on the minors. The effects range from health, education and the general wellbeing of the juvenile in the society. Many viable measures exist that can assist in limiting the use of drugs among teenagers. This paper looks at the prevalence of drug use among juvenile delinquents, the contributing factors and the effects on the juveniles and the society as a whole. It also seeks to discuss some of the measures that are applicable in discouraging the youths from substance abuse. For most youths, drug use is a prerequisite to participating in delinquent behaviors. It has repercussions either early in life or later when the juveniles graduate to adulthood. Study indicates that of the juveniles who find themselves in the corridors of justice, nearly sixty percent are victims of drug use at one point in their lives (Shoemaker, 2013). At the time of the illegal activity, the juvenile delinquents are active users of the drugs in question. Some of the drugs that form the top of the list are alcohol, cigarette, marijuana and cocaine. Other youths also go ahead and engage in the use of drugs through injections. Juvenile delinquency and drug use exhibit an interactional relationship. It is worthy to note that drug use among delinquents is relatively common with the male gender in contrast to the females (Kim & Kim, 2008). More boys engage in the juvenile relative to the girls. To understand the association that exists between drug use and juvenile delinquency, it is vital to look at the factors that drive the youths into abusing of the substances. According to research, the number one factors that push youths into the drug abuse is poverty. Most children who grow up in areas within towns that lack proper organization has easy access drugs like alcohol and marijuana. The youths undergo through a lot of stress and resort to drug abuse as a temporary solution of lowering the psychological effects. Peer pressure is a significant factor that contributes to the youths using drugs (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). It is probably the major reason as the youths easily access the substances from their friends. Youths support each other in terms of availing and using the drugs. Genetic factors may influence whether a youth engages in drug abuse or not. The behavior of adolescents in relation to drug use is traceable to the parents. Emotional issues cut across all economic and social classes in causing youths to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. It explains why youths that come from well off families still engage in drug abuse despite the fact that they have all the basic needs. The drugs are vital to the youths in addressing their conscious imbalance. Majority of youths that fall in this group are those who are not ready to share their problems with the parents or psychologists. Some youths adopt drug abuse voluntarily. They enjoy taking alcohol and smoking cigarettes due to the perceived benefits. Such youths claim that the drugs assist them to relax and enhance their thinking by way of activating the brain. The information about the [perceived benefits emanate from what they see in advertisements and hear what the people who are already using the drugs say. Parental neglect during adolescents predispose youths to abusing drugs (Castillo, 2008). In an attempt to recompense for the insufficient love and care from the parents, youths will divert to drug use, especially taking alcohol. Parents have the obligation to guarantee the welfare of their children. Giving full attention to the children go a long way in keeping their behavior under check and helps in diverting their attentions from issues to do with substance abuse. The parents also need to make their homes conducive for the existence of their children. Children must not view their home as correctional centers where there is no freedom. Teenagers who are happy about their lives rarely engage in substance abuse. As mentioned above, drug abuse and delinquency relate to each other very closely. The impacts of abusing drugs are diverse depending on an individual’s perspective. The use of drugs has links to prevalence of offences by the youths. Drug use can lead to most teenagers finding themselves behind bars. Drug use itself among children amount to juvenile delinquency. Use of drugs such as alcohol, marijuana and cigarette automatically land the youths into the juvenile justice system. The youths undergo arrest by the concerned authorities. Adjudication and eventual correction mechanism forms the basic steps in the juvenile courts. When appearing before the courts, the youths may receive different types of judgments based on the intensity and level of involvement in drug abuse. The punishments vary from serving jail term or adoption into correctional centers. Besides making using the substances, some youths involve themselves in selling the substances to prospective buyers. In such an instance, other youths of the similar age group are at a higher chance of using the drugs because of peer pressure. The sellers also have higher chances of convincing power on the prospective clients if they belong to the same age group. It is because of peer influence that the juvenile dealers find it easy to penetrate the market. Peddling of drugs is illegal cash and contributes immensely to juvenile delinquency. Use of drugs exposes minors to behaviors that are contrary to the provisions of the law. Drinking alcohol impairs the thinking of juveniles and this may prompt them to engage in illegal activities (Burfeinf & Bartush, 2011). An example of such activities is engaging in sexual behaviors. Sex, according to the law is only permissible to adults aged eighteen and above. Involvement in the act by anybody below eighteen years old amounts to juvenile offence. Sexual behaviors are prevalent among adolescents who are out to adventure. Upon arrest by the authorities in charge, the minors undergo the juvenile justice system as a measure to discourage other youths from participating in sexual acts. Substance abuse prompts the youths to engage in other offences. When the youths are low in supply of the drugs, and they have inadequate cash to purchase more, they may resort to other means of ensuring that the obtain cash for the substances. The youths often resort to theft as a means to acquire cash for use in the purchase of the substance. Violent behavior, for instance fighting is common with drug users. Because it is against the law, the youths involved find themselves in the juvenile courts. Apart from making the youths susceptible to committing offences, the substances have massive effect on the lives of the young users. The effects are both social and physical especially on the health of the juveniles. Alcohol abuse predisposes the children to liver cirrhosis and other diseases while cigarette smoking is a prerequisite to cancer of the lungs. Accidental injuries are relatively prevalent of substance users relative to other adolescents who shy away from drugs. Deaths because of overdose sometimes take place. The teenagers may also find it easy to commits suicide and homicide due to the impaired judgment. Performance in school declines and the probability of dropping out of school goes up (NCJRS, 2015). Through the sexual behaviors, adolescents can easy contact HIV and other diseases transmitted through irresponsible sexual behaviors. Prevention and treatment of drug use among juvenile delinquents is vital in ensuring the existence of a productive population in a community. Elimination of illegal drug business leads to a decline drug use among adolescents. It will also reduce drug induced violent crimes and other related offences. Building the community capacity and creation of alternative opportunities is paramount for the youths to keep of drug use. From the above explanations on the factors that drive the youths into drug use, the youths who abuse substances feel unwanted from the society. It is the role of the community to incorporate the youths in activities so that they do not feel alienated from the society. Accepting the youths affected by the use of drugs is the first step in finding a lasting solution to the menace of drug use among delinquents (Helibrun, Goldstein & Redding, 2005). Provision of positive chances in the society to the youths help keep them away from thinking about drug use. Adoption of sound curfew policies can help the society and the government deal with the ever-rising cases of adolescents drinking alcohol and using other drugs. It is important to intertwine the curfew rules with services important to the development of the society. Juvenile delinquents should participate in trainings that lead to jobs in future. Initiations of recreational programs that instill development among the youths assist curb the prevalence of juvenile delinquent occasioned by drug abuse. The recreational and counseling programs incorporated into the curfew help the juvenile delinquents and other prospective drug users focus on beneficial aspects of life rather than subject themselves to drug abuse. Another strategy to discourage use of drugs among minors is to enhance capacity of law enforcers to deal with the juvenile delinquency. The authorities in charge of ensuring that the citizens adhere to the law require special training on how to handle juvenile delinquency (Seagel & Welsh, 2011). The training imparts skills on how take care of severe cases of drug use among adolescents. People in charge of controlling drug abuse need to pay more attention on curbing the traffic of the drugs. Cutting off supply is a first step in ensuring that the youths have no access to the substances. Advancement of policies focusing on the youths is vital in the fight against substance abuse among the youths. Such program seeks to bring the youths on board in identifying the root cause of drug use. The youths remain in a good position to give views on how to solve the problems facing them. Coordination between various stakes holders involve in the fight against drug use among the minors is vital. The information shared between the agencies help in formulation of sound policies regarding the control of substance abuse among juvenile delinquents. The interventions adopted should focus on prevention and management of the drug abuse among juvenile delinquents. Comprehensive disciplinary action plan need development. References Burfeind, J. W., & Bartusch, D. J. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: An integrated approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Castillo, K. (2008). The causes that lead teenagers to drug and alcohol abuse. München: GRIN-Verlag. Heilbrun, K., Goldstein, N. E. S., & Redding, R. E. (2005). Juvenile Delinquency: Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA. Kim, H., & Kim, H. (2008). Juvenile delinquency and youth crime. New York: Nova Science Publishers National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). 2015. Juvenile Delinquency and Substance Abuse. Web. March 15, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/jjbul9712-1/substan.html Sanders, B. (2012). Gang youth, substance use patterns, and drug normalization. Journal Of Youth Studies, 15(8), 978-994. doi:10.1080/13676261.2012.685707. Shoemaker, D. J. (2013). Juvenile delinquency. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Siegel, L.J., & Welsh, B. (2014). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learnig. Read More