2011's top 5 stories on juvenile justice and adolescent substance abuse

This is it! Here are the top 5 stories on juvenile justice and adolescent substance abuse from 2011:

#5. Serious juvenile offenders: Do mental health problems elevate risk?
Researchers looked at the relationship between mental health problems and involvement in criminal activity.
#4. Infographic: Balt Salts abuse
The Pat Moore Foundation shared an incredibly helpful infographic on bath salts, that describes what they are, how they can be abused and the side affects associated with their use.
#3. Most effective juvenile justice policy? Practitioners say it's drug treatment
Dr. Jeffrey Butts surveyed 300 juvenile justice professionals to assess their thoughts on combating and preventing juvenile crime. 
#2. Scared Straight: Don't believe the hype (facts from CJJ)
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice explained why "Scared Straight" approaches to juvenile justice are ineffective, counterproductive and costly.
#1. Beyond "Scared Straight" -- Moving to programs that actually work
Rather than focusing on shaming and terrorizing youth to deter them from future crime, Dr. Laura Nissen made a strong case for investing in evidence-based practices of treatment, supportive services, and community-based recovery support services that teens in the juvenile justice system need to be successful. 

And in case you missed them, here are the top 20, top 15 and top 10 stories!
What do you think of the list? Are there any stories that we missed?

Liz Wu is a Digital Accounts Manager at Prichard Communications, where she oversees digital outreach for Reclaiming Futures and edits Reclaiming Futures Every Day. Before joining the Prichard team, Liz established the West Coast communications presence for the New America Foundation, where she managed all media relations, event planning and social media outreach for their 6 domestic policy programs. Liz received a B.A. in both Peace and Conflict Studies and German from the University of California at Berkeley. She tweets at @LizSF.
 
 
 
 
*Photo at top by Flickr user Leo Reynolds