NCJ Number
155037
Journal
Psychoactive Drugs Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (July-September 1981) Pages: 277-287
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article describes a second study of the relationships between drug use and violence among incarcerated male juveniles in California (see NCJ-155036).
Abstract
The samples included in the analysis consisted of 95 physically assaultive offenders, 63 sexually assaultive offenders, and 135 nonassaultive delinquents convicted of other serious offenses. Youths convicted of drug law violations were excluded from the latter group. The present findings replicated previous results, showing that alcohol was the drug most frequently used by both physically and sexually assaultive juvenile offenders, that cannabis was underrepresented in both these groups of offenders, that secobarbital was selected as the drug most likely to cause aggression, and that cannabis was chosen as the drug most likely to decrease aggression. Compared to the earlier study, these results show that the pattern of drug use among the three groups of offenders was very similar; there was also a notable increase in the involvement of polydrug use in violent crime. 5 tables and 32 references