******PUBLICATION ADVISORY******

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES BULLETIN ON SUBSTANCE USE
AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR AMONG SERIOUS OFFENDERS

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs today announced the release of Substance Use and Delinquent Behavior Among Serious Offenders, a bulletin based on findings from a longitudinal study, Pathways to Desistance: A Prospective Study of Delinquent Offenders, which was sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Over a seven year period, the Pathways to Desistance research team followed a group of 1,354 young offenders in Philadelphia, PA, and Maricopa County, AZ, after their conviction, collecting comprehensive data on their offending and their lives.

The authors present key findings on the link between adolescent substance use and serious offending, including that substance use and offending at one age is a consistent predictor of continued serious offending at a later age; substance use and serious offending fluctuate in similar patterns over time; and both decrease in late adolescence. This study provides the most comprehensive data available about serious juvenile offenders and their lives in late adolescence and early adulthood.

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The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has seven components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at https://ojp.gov.