By Dr. Vincent Giordano
Program Director, Criminal Justice at American Public University
Prior to coming to American Public University as the Criminal Justice Program Director, I worked with Operation PAR as a drug counselor and the Program Administrator of Juvenile Services. I managed a staff that was primarily responsible for screening and assessing youth who were arrested in Pinellas County, Florida. I would often have various interactions with parents and caregivers who were confused as to what they could do to get help for their children whom were abusing drugs.
Unfortunately, parental knowledge about drug abuse and treatment is commonly derived from several unrealistic sources. These include popular films, television shows, news media and radio programs. On occasion, some parents are also aware of addiction treatment because they or other family members sought treatment for their own addiction or abuse problems. This leaves the counseling professional with an uphill climb as he or she helps the family understand the dynamics of substance abuse and how to get the child the right treatment.
Addressing Juvenile Substance Abuse Problems
When drug abuse among teens became more of a commonly accepted problem in the United States, we knew very little about the nature of drug addiction and how to treat it. In the ‘70s there was an explosion of drug abuse among teens. Little was known about substance abuse. Criminal justice professionals were left to develop programs with little research to support their treatment methods. The first of these programs was Scared Straight. Born from the infamous 1978 Scared Straight documentary narrated by actor Peter Falk, the program takes audiences through New Jersey’s Rahway State Prison where juvenile offenders were subjected to the verbal abuse of inmates serving life sentences. The filmed juveniles were previously arrested for a variety of misdemeanor crimes like public intoxication, petty theft and burglary. After the experience many juveniles claimed that they were truly scared straight.
Scared Straight fed into the American perception that delinquency was a result of kids having no respect for authority and that they simply need a good “kick in the backside” to get back on track. Based on this assumption, similar programs began to pop up all over the country. It inspired juvenile boot camp programs, which utilized aspects of Scared Straight coupled with military discipline and exercise.
In actuality, Scared Straight and boot camps have minimal effect on reversing deviant behavior. Some research has suggested that Scared Straight programs (Petrosino, Turpin-Pertrosino, and Buehler, 2009) and boot camps (National Institute of Justice, n.d.) can be linked either to causing deviant behavior or failing to reduce it. However, this information has not managed to trickle down to parents. Parents see these documentaries and they believe that the methods worked. After all, if they didn’t work, then why would they be on television?
The same can be said about D.A.R.E. The school anti-drug speaking program created by Los Angeles Chief of Police Daryl Gates and supported by Nancy Reagan also failed to address the complex social and biological issues that lead to drug abuse. From Scared Straight to D.A.R.E, all of these programs have generated brand-name recognition. And people tend to equate popularity with effectiveness. Just because a program is popular doesn’t mean that it’s as effective as its stated goal. Despite consumer awareness and popularity, none of the four program cases I mentioned above were ultimately effective. This misperception may lead to perpetuation of inappropriate treatment.
If the program does not work, why is it still in use?
Parents often look for the “quick fix” that allows their children to get whipped into shape. Boot camp was often a popular request that I heard. Following the unfortunate death of Martin Lee Anderson at one of Florida’s three boot camps for drug treatment, the state closed all of them. I often cautioned new counselors to not get too bogged down in lecturing parents as to the effectiveness or lack or effectiveness of programs like boot camps or D.A.R.E. Such discussions often distract from the real issue of getting the child linked to appropriate services. Substance abuse professionals need to recommend that the child be screened and assessed before making a treatment decision. This typically involves a drug screen to determine the type of drugs the child might be using, while an assessment will determine the nature and depth of the drug problem.
Once the nature of the problem becomes evident the appropriate treatment strategy becomes clearer. Treatment recommendations can include residential or outpatient treatment and additional services like drug education, social skills, mental health services and case management. Drug courses also play a significant role in determining treatment, but they’re only involved in cases involving an arrest. Sadly, it’s all too common that parents first become aware of a drug problem only after their child is arrested.
The Involvement of Law Enforcement
Sometimes parents decide to involve police as their own form of treatment when they discover a child is abusing drugs. These parents misconstrue the purpose of law enforcement by thinking police officers will come to the home and scare the child into not using drugs. This is rarely the case. The arrest of a child can be a traumatic experience for both the youth and the parent. The stigma associated with having an arrest record can also cause problems down the line for the child later on in life.
If a child has a drug problem, my advice for the family is to start tackling the problem by first contacting a local substance abuse recovery program. Most of these programs can be found via the phone book or via a quick Internet search. Large agencies typically offer a 24-hour call-in service. Parents can touch base with these programs first in order to get some basic directions on how to proceed. If there are no local substance abuse agencies available, I often recommend that parents talk to a physician or contact a family therapist. These individuals are easy to locate using the Internet and many will provide care on a sliding fee scale in order to help families with limited means.
References
National Institute of Justice (n.d.). Correctional boot camps: Lessons from a decade of research. Retrieved from www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/197018.pdf
Petrosino, A., Turpin-Petrosino, C, & Buehler, J. (2009). “Scared straight” and other juvenile awareness programs for preventing juvenile delinquency. The Cochrane Library. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002796
About the Author:
Dr. Vinnie Giordano Ph.D, CAP, CCJAP obtained his Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Long Island University/ C.W. Post with a specialization in political science. He then went on to achieve his Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Florida Metropolitan University, and another Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Giordano obtained his Ph.D. in Human Services with a specialization in Criminal Justice from Capella University. Before coming to APUS as a full-time employee, Dr. Giordano worked in the field of substance abuse and behavioral health for 13 years as a substance abuse counselor in a Department of Corrections funded youthful offender program. There he maintained positions in counseling and supervising for a 28-day residential and aftercare program, and as the Administrator of Juvenile Services at the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center.