Background Despite the heightened risk for substance use (SU) among youth in the juvenile justice... more Background Despite the heightened risk for substance use (SU) among youth in the juvenile justice system, many do not receive the treatment that they need. Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which youth under community supervision by juvenile justice agencies receive community-based SU services and the factors associated with access to such services. Methods Data are from a nationally representative sample of Community Supervision (CS) agencies and their primary behavioral health (BH) partners. Surveys were completed by 192 CS and 271 BH agencies. Results SU services are more often available through BH than CS for all treatment modalities. EBPs are more likely to be used by BH than by CS. Co-location of services occurs most often in communities with fewer treatment options and is associated with higher interagency collaboration. Youth are more likely to receive services in communities with higher EBP use, which mediates the relationship between the avai...
Substance use disorders (SUD) are prevalent among justice-involved youth (JIY) and are a robust p... more Substance use disorders (SUD) are prevalent among justice-involved youth (JIY) and are a robust predictor of re-offending. Only a fraction of JIY with substance use problems receive treatment. This paper describes the impacts of system-level efforts to improve identification and referral to treatment on recidivism of JIY. A cluster randomized trial involving 20 county juvenile justice agency sites across 5 states was used to implement an organizational intervention (Core vs Enhanced) to juvenile justice staff and community-based treatment providers, working with 18,698 JIY from March 2014 to August 2017. Recidivism rates over four study time periods were examined. Logistic regression was used to predict recidivism as a function of site, need for SUD services, level of supervision, time, organizational intervention, and time x intervention interaction terms. Results indicated that Enhanced sites showed decreased levels of recidivism compared to Core-only sites, where it increased ove...
Little is known about longitudinal health risks and justice involvement among juvenile justice sy... more Little is known about longitudinal health risks and justice involvement among juvenile justice system (JJS) populations. This study used a sample of n = 388 males involved in the JJS to examined longitudinal associations of a latent health risk factor, comprised of depression, marijuana use, and sexually transmitted infections, with post-JJS placement. Results indicate the health risk factor was relatively stable over three time points of JJS entry and associated with present and future JJS placement. Youths who were Hispanic, older, or living with a family member struggling with alcohol use had higher health risk. These findings underscore the need for JJS services that address health risks among persistent juvenile offenders, with consideration of cultural and family dynamics.
Objective: Scant research exists on the validity of self-reported marijuana use using biological ... more Objective: Scant research exists on the validity of self-reported marijuana use using biological assays among adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. This exploratory study examined gender (sex) differences in underreporting of marijuana use and the impact of age, race/ethnicity, living situation, depression, family problems, sexual risk behaviors, previous drug treatment, and juvenile justice placement. Methods: Self-reports of past year marijuana use were validated with urinalysis, and those testing positive for marijuana use were selected for study. The sample was 256 females and 885 males, aged 12 to 18, entering an urban juvenile assessment center in a southeastern U.S. state between 2017 and 2019. Results: Results indicated significant differences in marijuana underreporting (tested positive but self-reported no use), with 37% of females and 55% of males underreporting use. For males, Hispanic ethnicity, African American race, sexually transmitted infection (STI),...
Michael L. Dennis Corey N. Smith Chestnut Health Systems Steven Belenko Temple University Danica ... more Michael L. Dennis Corey N. Smith Chestnut Health Systems Steven Belenko Temple University Danica Knight Texas Christian University Larkin McReynolds Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute Grace Rowan New York University Richard Dembo University of South Florida Ralph DiClemente New York University Angela Robertson Mississippi State University Tisha Wiley National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The threat generated by the COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered sudden institutional changes in an ef... more The threat generated by the COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered sudden institutional changes in an effort to reduce viral spread. Restrictions on group gatherings and in‐person engagement have increased the demand for remote service delivery. These restrictions have also affected the delivery of court‐mandated interventions. However, much of the literature has focused on populations that voluntarily seek out face‐to‐face medical care or mental health services, whereas insufficient attention has been paid to telehealth engagement of court‐mandated populations. This article draws on data gathered on an NIH/NIDA‐funded study intervention implemented with juvenile justice‐involved youths of Haitian heritage in Miami‐Dade County, Florida, during the COVID‐19 public health crisis. We explore the process of obtaining consent, technological access issues, managing privacy, and other challenges associated with remote delivery of family‐based therapy to juvenile justice‐involved youth. Our aim is...
Recidivism, and the factors related to it, remains a highly significant concern among juvenile ju... more Recidivism, and the factors related to it, remains a highly significant concern among juvenile justice researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Recent studies highlight the need to examine multiple measures of recidivism as well as conduct multilevel analyses of this phenomenon. Using data collected in a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) cooperative agreement, we examined individual- and site-level factors related to 1-year recidivism among probation youth in 20 sites in five states to answer research questions related to how recidivism rates differ across sites and the relationships between individual-level variables and a county-level concentrated disadvantage measure and recidivism. Our findings of large site differences in recidivism rates, and complex relationships between individual and county-level predictors of recidivism, highlight the need for more nu...
Youth involved in the juvenile justice system demonstrate greater risk of exposure to negative li... more Youth involved in the juvenile justice system demonstrate greater risk of exposure to negative life experiences. The present study explores the prevalence of three stress-related experiences (sexual assault victimization, bullying/victimization, and minority sexual orientation) among newly arrested adolescents. Gender (biological sex) differences were examined as well as associations with sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI). Factor analyses found a single factor of stress for both genders. Prevalence rates for bullying/victimization, sexual assault victimization, and sexual minority status were higher for girls than boys. Girls were also more likely than boys to test positive for STIs and experience depressive symptoms, while boys were more likely than girls to test positive for marijuana use. Depression and drug-related problems were associated with the stress construct for girls only. Bivariate comparisons ...
Background Despite the heightened risk for substance use (SU) among youth in the juvenile justice... more Background Despite the heightened risk for substance use (SU) among youth in the juvenile justice system, many do not receive the treatment that they need. Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which youth under community supervision by juvenile justice agencies receive community-based SU services and the factors associated with access to such services. Methods Data are from a nationally representative sample of Community Supervision (CS) agencies and their primary behavioral health (BH) partners. Surveys were completed by 192 CS and 271 BH agencies. Results SU services are more often available through BH than CS for all treatment modalities. EBPs are more likely to be used by BH than by CS. Co-location of services occurs most often in communities with fewer treatment options and is associated with higher interagency collaboration. Youth are more likely to receive services in communities with higher EBP use, which mediates the relationship between the avai...
Substance use disorders (SUD) are prevalent among justice-involved youth (JIY) and are a robust p... more Substance use disorders (SUD) are prevalent among justice-involved youth (JIY) and are a robust predictor of re-offending. Only a fraction of JIY with substance use problems receive treatment. This paper describes the impacts of system-level efforts to improve identification and referral to treatment on recidivism of JIY. A cluster randomized trial involving 20 county juvenile justice agency sites across 5 states was used to implement an organizational intervention (Core vs Enhanced) to juvenile justice staff and community-based treatment providers, working with 18,698 JIY from March 2014 to August 2017. Recidivism rates over four study time periods were examined. Logistic regression was used to predict recidivism as a function of site, need for SUD services, level of supervision, time, organizational intervention, and time x intervention interaction terms. Results indicated that Enhanced sites showed decreased levels of recidivism compared to Core-only sites, where it increased ove...
Little is known about longitudinal health risks and justice involvement among juvenile justice sy... more Little is known about longitudinal health risks and justice involvement among juvenile justice system (JJS) populations. This study used a sample of n = 388 males involved in the JJS to examined longitudinal associations of a latent health risk factor, comprised of depression, marijuana use, and sexually transmitted infections, with post-JJS placement. Results indicate the health risk factor was relatively stable over three time points of JJS entry and associated with present and future JJS placement. Youths who were Hispanic, older, or living with a family member struggling with alcohol use had higher health risk. These findings underscore the need for JJS services that address health risks among persistent juvenile offenders, with consideration of cultural and family dynamics.
Objective: Scant research exists on the validity of self-reported marijuana use using biological ... more Objective: Scant research exists on the validity of self-reported marijuana use using biological assays among adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. This exploratory study examined gender (sex) differences in underreporting of marijuana use and the impact of age, race/ethnicity, living situation, depression, family problems, sexual risk behaviors, previous drug treatment, and juvenile justice placement. Methods: Self-reports of past year marijuana use were validated with urinalysis, and those testing positive for marijuana use were selected for study. The sample was 256 females and 885 males, aged 12 to 18, entering an urban juvenile assessment center in a southeastern U.S. state between 2017 and 2019. Results: Results indicated significant differences in marijuana underreporting (tested positive but self-reported no use), with 37% of females and 55% of males underreporting use. For males, Hispanic ethnicity, African American race, sexually transmitted infection (STI),...
Michael L. Dennis Corey N. Smith Chestnut Health Systems Steven Belenko Temple University Danica ... more Michael L. Dennis Corey N. Smith Chestnut Health Systems Steven Belenko Temple University Danica Knight Texas Christian University Larkin McReynolds Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute Grace Rowan New York University Richard Dembo University of South Florida Ralph DiClemente New York University Angela Robertson Mississippi State University Tisha Wiley National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The threat generated by the COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered sudden institutional changes in an ef... more The threat generated by the COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered sudden institutional changes in an effort to reduce viral spread. Restrictions on group gatherings and in‐person engagement have increased the demand for remote service delivery. These restrictions have also affected the delivery of court‐mandated interventions. However, much of the literature has focused on populations that voluntarily seek out face‐to‐face medical care or mental health services, whereas insufficient attention has been paid to telehealth engagement of court‐mandated populations. This article draws on data gathered on an NIH/NIDA‐funded study intervention implemented with juvenile justice‐involved youths of Haitian heritage in Miami‐Dade County, Florida, during the COVID‐19 public health crisis. We explore the process of obtaining consent, technological access issues, managing privacy, and other challenges associated with remote delivery of family‐based therapy to juvenile justice‐involved youth. Our aim is...
Recidivism, and the factors related to it, remains a highly significant concern among juvenile ju... more Recidivism, and the factors related to it, remains a highly significant concern among juvenile justice researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Recent studies highlight the need to examine multiple measures of recidivism as well as conduct multilevel analyses of this phenomenon. Using data collected in a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded Juvenile Justice-Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) cooperative agreement, we examined individual- and site-level factors related to 1-year recidivism among probation youth in 20 sites in five states to answer research questions related to how recidivism rates differ across sites and the relationships between individual-level variables and a county-level concentrated disadvantage measure and recidivism. Our findings of large site differences in recidivism rates, and complex relationships between individual and county-level predictors of recidivism, highlight the need for more nu...
Youth involved in the juvenile justice system demonstrate greater risk of exposure to negative li... more Youth involved in the juvenile justice system demonstrate greater risk of exposure to negative life experiences. The present study explores the prevalence of three stress-related experiences (sexual assault victimization, bullying/victimization, and minority sexual orientation) among newly arrested adolescents. Gender (biological sex) differences were examined as well as associations with sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI). Factor analyses found a single factor of stress for both genders. Prevalence rates for bullying/victimization, sexual assault victimization, and sexual minority status were higher for girls than boys. Girls were also more likely than boys to test positive for STIs and experience depressive symptoms, while boys were more likely than girls to test positive for marijuana use. Depression and drug-related problems were associated with the stress construct for girls only. Bivariate comparisons ...
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