Roundup: Why Coercive Punishment Doesn't Change Behavior - and More

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Ever wish you had a good guide to give parents of teens with alcohol and drug abuse issues about what treatment is, how to find the right treatment program, how to pay for it, and how to cope? Now you can link folks up with the Treatment Guide e-Book, a great guide from The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. A good supplement is the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's (CSAT), "A Quick Guide to Finding Effective Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment" (via SAMHSA's Recovery Month).
• Now that teen heroin use has suburban parents all freaked out (or should), the media is finally discovering how big a barrier insurance (or lack of funds) can be to providing youth with addiction treatment they desperately need (via Portland Prevention).
• The annual National Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control survey found that an alarming 1 in 5 high school students said they'd abused prescription drugs, i.e., taken them without a prescription. Nevertheless, alcohol (72%) and marijuana (37%) are still the favorites.

 Juvenile Justice News and Resources

• On October 23-25, 2010, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice will hold its conference on disproportionate minority contact in Jersey City, N.J.,  Fundamental Fairness, Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), will be offering a one-day training session beforehand, on October 22nd (via Youth Today). 
• Interested in learning more about the recent Supreme Court ruling on sentencing juveniles to life without parole? The Campaign for Youth Justice's podcast on June 17 at 1:30 pm PST / 4:30 pm EST will be interviewing Marsha Levick, Deputy Director and Chief Counsel for the Juvenile Law Center, and attorney, Bryan Gowdy, the attorney for the Florida man whose case was ruled on by the Supreme Court.
• The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University is now offering its certificate program -- previously open only to public agency leaders -- to private sector leaders. Titled "Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare: Multi-System Integration Certificate Program for Private Sector Leaders," the program will be held October 22-28, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The focus of the week-long program is on policies, programs and practices related to crossover youth (children and youth known to multiple systems of care, particularly juvenile justice and child welfare). Application deadline is July 27, 2010. Questions? Email Kristina Rosinsky. [Note: Originally, I mistakenly wrote that the certificate program was previously open only to nonprofit leaders, rather than public agency leaders. Apologies for the error. --Ed.]
• Interesting editorial in Education Week about the connection between excessive discipline meted out by schools and the dropout rate. The author, a long-time educator, praises work done in Clayton County, GA in which collaborative work between the court and the schools aims to cut court referrals from the schools by 84%. (Click here to learn more about the work in Clayton County: follow the link and look for the presentation titled, "Zero (In)Tolerance: Deconstructing the School to Prison Pipeline.")
• The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College, London, recently produced an interesting meta-analysis of research titled, "Comparing coercive and non-coercive interventions." The author, James McGuire, provides a lucid, concise reveiw of the research on which types of interventions work to change behavior, and -- surprise! -- coercive punishment only works if it's swift, certain, and sure -- three conditions the justice system isn't usually equipped to meet. So, simply locking people up isn't effective. What is? Many familiar interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, Aggression Replacement Training, family intervention, individual counseling, and so on. Of course, it also helps if programming is matched with individual needs, staff members are well-trained, a range of responses are available, and programs are implemented with fidelity. But why not invest in what works, rather than in what we're convinced will work? (Hat tip to restorativejustice.org.)
• Want two great e-newsletters devoted to substance abuse prevention, addiction, and intervention? Then subscribe to the e-newsletters from the Portland Maine, Public Health Division. Even if you're not from Maine, the e-newsletter for the Portland Women's Task Force and Overdose Prevention Project offers incredible resources in two separate "news, publications and research links" sections. The One Maine, One Portland e-newsletter focuses on positive youth development and offers national resources and might give you ideas for events and trainings to hold in your area. (You only have to sign up once to get both newsletters.) Check them out!