Young offenders 'need rehab clinics'

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by Change | 18 Feb 2009

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Young people who have attended juvenile detention centers need rehab clinics if they are to avoid drug addiction, survey asserts.

Children who pass through juvenile detention centers are more likely to develop substance addiction problems and require rehabilitation treatment, a new study states.

Figures published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found 90 per cent of former detainees were struggling in their lives, with over one in five qualifying as severely impaired.

This category contains those individuals who have developed drug or alcohol addiction problems, been expelled from school and continue to break the law.

Karen Abram, lead author and Feinberg School's associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, claims services are available to help these people but need to be used.

She states: "This study highlights that we have failed to provide effective rehabilitation for these kids. We need to intervene early … These kids need alternatives to their criminal lifestyle. We need to provide effective services."

Ms Abram calls for additional rehab treatment to be provided for those leaving juvenile detention centers, especially focused on substance addiction problems.

A new advert in the UK is aiming to provide young people with information about the risk of cannabis addiction.

The government's £2.2 million campaign will show both the drug's short and long-term consequences.

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