• Alcohol Use [ Time Frame: 6 months post release ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Marijuana Use [ Time Frame: 6 month post release ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Illegal activity and injuries while high or drunk [ Time Frame: 6 months post release ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• Alcohol Use [ Time Frame: 6 months post release ]
• Marijuana Use [ Time Frame: 6 month post release ]
• illegal activity and injuries while high or drunk [ Time Frame: 6 months post release ]

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of an individual motivational interview followed by group sessions of cognitive behavior therapy for reducing alcohol and marijuana-related harm as well as alcohol and marijuana use in incarcerated teens.

Although substance abuse is a major problem among incarcerated teens, little is known about ways to effectively treat this population. Elucidation of effective therapies for reducing substance use among incarcerated teens is important for a number of reasons. For example, a number of empirical studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between substance use and a variety of delinquent and/or dangerous activities, including driving under the influence, perpetration or falling victim to violent crime, and engaging in risky sexual behavior, as well as increases in recidivism to illegal behavior. Unfortunately, substance abuse treatment frequently is unavailable to teens in the juvenile justice system, and when it is available, treatment often is provided in group format using untested interventions, or to teens that are unmotivated to change their behavior.

The objective of the present study is to investigate ways to enhance group therapy engagement and reduce substance use (specifically targeting alcohol and marijuana) and related behaviors (e.g., injury, sexual risk-taking, and illegal behavior) among juvenile offenders. Both Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have independently demonstrated success in reducing adolescent substance use in both incarcerated and non-incarcerated samples, thus a motivation and skills-based intervention such as the combination MI/CBT approach proposed here, might prove effective in attaining these goals.

• Alcohol Drinking
• Marijuana Smoking

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adolescents will be eligible if:

  • in the year prior to incarceration they either a) drank alcohol or used marijuana at least once per month or b) binge-drank (> 5 for boys, > 4 for girls) during any two week period
  • they drank or used marijuana in the four weeks before the offense for which they were incarcerated; or
  • they used either substance in the four weeks before they were incarcerated. Special attention will be given to recruitment of girls and members of minority groups, with periodic reminders to social workers to alert participants in these groups and their families to our project.

Exclusion Criteria:

• They do not meet the above inclusion criteria or informed consent is not obtained from parent or guardian.