Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and the Children Left Behind

The results of this five-year study by the National Center on Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that the vast majority of juvenile arrests involve substance abuse or addiction, yet most of these young people go untreated. Of the 2.4 million juvenile arrests in 2000, 1.9 million had drug or alcohol abuse or addiction involvement. Only 68,600 juveniles received substance abuse treatment.

The report also found that up to three in every four incarcerated 10 to 17-year-olds have a diagnosable mental health disorder.

According to CASA, the juvenile justice systems cost $14.4 billion a year in law enforcement, courts, detention, residential placement, incarceration, substance abuse treatment and federal block grants...