By Alvin W. Cohn, D. Crim.
President, Administration of Justice Services
Teen Drug Use
Young people are using fewer illegal drugs, but new data show a rise in use among older adults, perhaps because a few aging baby boomers have clung to their youthful ways, according to the annual survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Just 6.8 percent of teenagers aged 12 to 17 said they had used marijuana in 2005, down from 8.2 percent in 2002. Overall illicit drug use by teens also fell, from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2005. Illegal use of alcohol also fell among teens, with 16.5 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds saying they were drinkers and 9.9 percent reporting binge drinking—having five or more drinks in a row. Overall drug use barely changed among Americans aged 12 and older. About 19.7 million, or 8.1 percent, reported that they had used an illicit drug in 2005, a rise from 7.9 percent in 2004. The survey questioned 68,308 people 12 and older about their substance abuse habits.
Students and Drinking
Despite the alcohol warnings and campaigns targeting college campuses, students still find ways to drink—and they have developed ways to drink safely, according to research by the National Social Norms Resources Center. The study, developed with data from more than 28,000 students at 44 colleges and universities, notes that about 73 percent of student drinkers protect themselves by using designated drivers, setting spending limits at bars, counting their drinks, going out in groups, and trusting friends to speak up when someone is drinking too much.
Overweight Toddlers
About 60 percent of toddlers and pre-schoolers who are overweight still weigh too much at age 12, setting them on a path toward adult obesity and its attendant health problems, according to a set of researchers at 10 U.S. universities who examined 1,042 children whose height and weight were recorded seven times from ages two to 12. Those children were defined as obese if they qualified for the 95th percentile of the weight-to-height ratio of kids at the same height and in the 85th to 95th percentile for weight. Other findings of the research include:
- 40 percent of kids who were in the 50th percentile or above by age three were overweight or obese at 12.
- The more times a child reached the “overweight” category during the pre-school and elementary school years, the more likely he or she was overweight at 12.
Children fathered by men older than 40 have a higher risk of autism, possibly because of mutations or other genetic changes, report researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry at London’s King’s College. The findings were based on records of 130,000 Israelis, both male and female, who were born in the 1980s. At 17, they were assessed for military eligibility. Offspring of men 40 years or older were 5.75 times more likely to have autism disorders, compared with those of men younger then 30.
College Aid
College financial aid has been shifting away from the most disadvantaged, low-income students, and the schools themselves are the most to blame, according to the Education Trust. Although state and federal assistance is increasingly merit-based instead of need-based, the biggest shift has occurred in institutions’ financial aid packages. At private four-year colleges and universities, the average award for students with family incomes below $20,000 was $836 in 1995. That grew over eight years to $1,251, a 50 percent increase. But the average institutional grant to students from families making more than $100,000 grew 227 percent to $781. The trend was more pronounced at private schools. The Education Trust attributes the change to colleges giving more of their limited grant money to the most talented high school graduates to make the institution look better on college rankings.
Uninsured Children
For the first time since 1998, the number of children younger than 18 without health coverage ticked upward last year by 361,000 (accompanying an overall increase in the ranks of the uninsured), according to Census Bureau data. Of the nation’s nearly 74 million children, about 8.3 million, or 11.2 percent, lacked coverage in 2005, up from 10.8 percent in 2004. Health experts attribute the change to budget crunches that led some states to curtail enrollment of children in government-subsidized plans and steady declines in the number of people who receive health insurance through their jobs. Children without health coverage are three times as likely as insured children to lack a regular doctor, are less likely to be up on their immunizations, have more school absences or receive treatment for sore throats, earaches, and other common childhood illnesses. Various uninsured percentages include:
7.2%—White, non-Hispanic
12.2%—Asian
12.5%—Black
21.9%—Hispanic
A study analyzed diet and medical data on 1,253 pregnant women and their children and found that at five years of age, about 12 percent of the children had been diagnosed with asthma. Children whose mothers had taken in the lowest amounts of vitamin E while pregnant were five times more likely to have asthma than were children whose mothers had registered the highest levels of the nutrient. The children’s intake of vitamin E did not affect whether they had asthma. Pregnant women are advised to consume at least 22 milligrams daily of vitamin E.
Painkillers and Pregnancy
According to a March of Dimes study, an analysis of medical data on children born to 36,387 women, 2,571 were born with a birth defect. Women who had taken NSAIDS (mainly Aleve, Advil, Vioxx, Celebrex, and Cataflan) during the first trimester of their pregnancy were twice as likely to have had a child with a birth defect as were women who did not take such pain relievers. Heart defects, specifically cardiac septal abnormalities, were most common.
SAT Scores
National average scores for the SAT college entrance exam fell seven points—the biggest drop in 31 years—for the high school class of 2006, the first to take the new version of the test. The number of test-takers also was down, by about 9,600 students, to 1.47 million. Participation rates particularly fell among students who said they were low-income. Meanwhile, more students reported family incomes of $80,000 or more. In all, test-takers averaged a two-point drop in reading from last year, the decline attributed to 41,000 fewer students re-taking the test than last year.
Federal Resources Guide
The Guide to Federal Resources for Youth Development, published by America’s Promise, presents information on federal funds available for youth development programs. Five core resources are highlighted:
2. Safe places
3. A healthy start and future
4. Effective education
5. Opportunities to help others
Drug Courts
The National Institute of Justice recently released Drug Courts: The Second Decade, a special report that presents information from recent drug court evaluation studies. The report provides insight into what works, including an analysis of how target populations and participant attributes affect program outcomes, the judge’s role, treatment issues, drug court interventions for juveniles, and cost-benefit analysis. As of December 2005, there were more than 1,500 drug courts in the U.S. and 391 were being planned. See www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/211081.pdf.
ACA Directory
The American Correctional Association has published the 2006 Directory of Adult and Juvenile Correctional Departments, Institutions, Agencies, and Probation and Parole Authorities. Contact the ACA store at www.aca.org to find a complete listing of all ACA directories.
Parents and Teen Risks
A third of American teenagers have attended parties where parents were at home while alcohol or illegal drugs were used, according to an annual back-to-school survey on teens’ attitudes that paints an overall portrait of a generation of parents clueless about their teens’ vices, according the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). The study did not suggest that parents were aware of what was happening when teenagers were partying in the homes. To the contrary, only 12 percent of parents see drugs and alcohol as a problem for their children, while 27 percent of teenagers ranked it their biggest concern. Fifty-eight percent of parents cited social pressure as their child’s biggest issue. The study found that 80 percent of parents think that neither alcohol nor marijuana is usually available at parties that their teenagers attend. Fifty percent of teens said that they had been at parties where alcohol and drugs were being used. For the first time, CASA found that the substance abuse gender gap has closed, with girls 12 to 17 at equal or higher risk compared with boys. By age 17, one in four teenagers will have known someone who was a victim of gun violence.
Among the “high risk” group, almost two-thirds of the teens reported they could buy marijuana in an hour or less; 93 percent said they had a friend who uses marijuana; 58 percent reported getting drunk at least once a month; and 71 percent said they had a friend who uses cocaine, LSD, or heroin. The survey also revealed that the transition stage at 13 and 14 years old is a particularly vulnerable time for teenagers as they enter high school and attain the freedom that comes with it. Fourteen-year-olds were three times as likely to be offered the drug ecstasy, and twice as likely to be offered cocaine, as teenagers a year younger. It is also reported that white, black, and Hispanic teens experiment with drugs to the same degree, but that the poorer youths are more likely to get hooked on drugs and less likely to get serious treatment.
Breast Milk
The tiniest premature infants fed with breast milk in the hospital did better on tests of mental development later in life than did others fed only formula, reports a new study in Pediatrics. The research is the first to show the benefits of breast milk for babies born weighing less than two pounds, three ounces. For those infants, brain development that normally would occur in the womb during the third trimester of pregnancy must occur in the hospital. Ingredients in breast milk, particularly fatty acids, seem to help the brain develop properly.
Newborn Testing
States have nearly doubled the number of newborns being tested for a host of rare but devastating genetic diseases, yet where you live determines just how protected your baby will be, according to the March of Dimes. For almost two years, specialists have urged that every U.S. newborn be checked for 29 disorders to detect the few thousand who will need early treatment to avoid serious, even life-threatening problems. As of last June, a total of 31 states required testing for more than 20 of these disorders. That is up from 23 states the previous year and covered 64 percent of the nation’s babies, nearly double the number tested in 2005.
Underage Drinkers
Underage drinkers are at greater risk of becoming alcoholics as adults than those who abstain before age 20, reports a study conducted at the Boston University School of Public Health. The study found that 45 percent of those who begin drinking at ages 14 to 20 become alcohol-dependent later in life, compared with 10 percent of those who start drinking after age 20.
Riskier Lifestyles in Men
Young men all over the world have higher death rates than women because of their riskier lifestyles, reports researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University in England. Accidents and suicide are the leading killers of men 15 to 34 years old; deaths from heart disease, cancer, and chronic liver disease rise sharply in those 35 to 44.
Kids and Exercise
Children need more exercise than is recommended in international guidelines to reduce their risk in developing cardiovascular disease, according to the Norwegian School of Sports Science. Instead of one hour a day of physical activity, youngsters may need 90 minutes to stave off high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and other risk factors that can lead to heart problems. The nine-year-olds who did 116 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day and the teenagers who exercised for 88 minutes daily had the lowest scores for heart-disease risk factors.
WIC Eligibility
The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service has issued a new set of Women, Infants and Children (WIC) eligibility rules that raises the amount of money a family can make and still qualify for government aid. The new income eligibility level for a family of three, to include a mother, father, and baby, rises to $591 a week and for a family of four is adjusted to $712 a week. WIC provides vouchers that families can use at supermarkets. See www.fns.usda.gov/wic/howtoapply/IEG2006Frnotice.txt.
Fatal Crashes
Laws that set strict conditions before teenagers can get a license can reduce fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers by up to 21 percent, according to a study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Examples include restrictions on driving at night, requiring a minimum number of hours of supervision by an adult driver, and limits on the number of passengers a teenage driver can have. States with such conditions showed a decline in fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers. Federal figures show that 16-year-old drivers were involved in 957 crashes that killed 1,111 people in 2004. By the end of 2004, 41 states and the District of Columbia had programs that included a learner’s permit with supervised training, an intermediate period with a limited amount of unsupervised driving, and a final stage without restrictions.
The study based its analysis on programs with these requirements:
- A minimum age of 15 for earning a learner’s permit.
- A waiting period of at least three months after getting a learner’s permit before applying for an intermediate license.
- A minimum of 30 hours of supervised driving.
- A minimum age of 16 for obtaining an intermediate state license.
- A minimum age of 17 for full licensing.
- Driving restrictions at night.
- A restriction on carrying passengers.
- The study found that such programs reduced fatal crashes by an average of 11 percent. Programs with six or seven components were linked to a 21 percent reduction.
Additionally, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, about one-third of the people killed in automobile crashes involving the nation’s youngest drivers were pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles. The study found that nearly 31,000 people were killed in crashes involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 17, between 1995 and 2004. The report found that of the 30,917 deaths during the span, 1,177, or 36.2 percent, were the teen drivers. The death toll included 9,847 passengers of the teen drivers, or 31.8 percent; 7,477 occupants of other vehicles operated by drivers at least 18 years of age, or 24.2 percent; and 2,323 pedestrians and bicyclists, or 7.5 percent.
Sleepy Teachers
Students who find themselves dozing off in class will be surprised to learn that their teachers are often just as sleep-deprived, according to a survey by Harris Interactive. A poll found that 51 percent of 1,350 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from around the country reported being drowsy or falling asleep while at work, and 43 percent said they’ve been so tired that they changed their lesson plans to show a movie or had the class do “busy work” because they didn’t feel they could handle the day’s instruction. Eighty-eight percent of the teachers in the survey said they have trouble falling or staying asleep at least some of the time, but just one in 10 thinks they have insomnia.
Father Facts
According to the National Center for Health Statistics:
Nonmarital childbearing: about 50 percent of the men without a high school education have fathered a child outside of marriage compared with about six percent among college graduates.
Teen fathers: Among non-Hispanic black fathers, 25 percent fathered their first child before they were 20 years old; 19 percent of Hispanic fathers also became fathers as teenagers, and 11 percent of non-Hispanic white men became fathers while in their teens. See www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/o6facts/fatherhood.htm.
Teaching With Data Methods
Most undergraduate teacher-education programs give prospective teachers a poor foundation in reading instruction, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. The report looks at course work and textbooks used at 72 leading colleges of education and found that most use what the council considers outdated, discredited approaches to teaching reading, especially for underprivileged children. The study finds that only 11 colleges currently teach teachers about all five so-called scientific components of reading, which dictate that students should learn reading through phonics, vocabulary, and similar means. Other approaches often require students to learn by memorizing key words and inferring the meaning of others through the context of the sentence.
Numbers
- 2 million infants worldwide die each year within 24 hours of birth.
- 0.5 percent of U.S. newborns die in their first month, the second-highest infant-mortality rate among industrialized nations, behind only Latvia.
- 45 percent of Americans younger than five belong to a racial minority group, compared with
- 33 percent of the overall population.
- 32 percent of teens believe personality outranks talent as a celebrity’s most important quality.
- 52 percent of teens think celebrities use charity for self-promotion.
- 7 percent of teens believe that their parents have the most influence on their opinions and values; friends 43 percent; and teachers rate only 38 percent.
Young people who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life, and teens ages 12 to 17 who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. Moreover, according to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, teenage smoking and drinking continue to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become an “entrenched behavior” that many parents fail to recognize. For a third straight year the study shows that about one in five—about 4.5 million—teenagers have tried painkillers such as Vicodin or OxyContin to get high. Forty percent of teenagers said prescription medicines were “much safer” than illegal drugs, while 31 percent said there was “nothing wrong” with using prescription drugs “once in a while.” The study also found that 29 percent believe prescription pain relievers are not addictive. The 2005 study surveyed more than 7,300 teenagers in grades seven through 12.
Youth Meth Use
According to research supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), prevention programs conducted in middle school can reduce methamphetamine use among rural adolescents years later.
The study, conducted by Dr. Richard L. Spoth and colleagues from the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State University, was reported in the September issue of the journal “Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.”
NIJ Research Fellowships
The National Institute of Justice is offering two research opportunities: the Graduate Research Fellowship and the W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program.
The Graduate Research Fellowship provides dissertation research support to outstanding doctoral students undertaking independent research on issues related to crime and justice. Students from academic disciplines are encouraged to apply and propose original research that has direct implications for criminal justice. NIJ encourages diversity in approaches and perspectives in an effort to encourage doctoral students to contribute critical and innovative thinking to pressing criminal justice problems. Visit http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000747.pdf to read the current solicitation.
The W.E.B DuBois Fellowship Program seeks to advance knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. DuBois fellows are asked to focus on policy questions that reflect the American past, present, and, increasingly, the future. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts. Visit http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000753.pdf to read the current solicitation.
Publications
The August CJEG monthly publications list is now available at https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Secure/cjeg/CJEGMonthlyPublications.aspx. Using this link, you can also login to update your contact information and order publications.
The new OVW Web site highlights the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative, Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Safety for Indian Women Demonstration Initiative, and OVW’s Measuring Effectiveness Initiative. New resources have been added along with links to domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines, state coalitions, and other federal agencies with violence against women programs.
OVC Announces Theme for 2007 NCVRW: OVC is pleased to announce the theme for next year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW): Victims’ Rights: Every Victim. Every Time, to be held April 22-28, 2007. If you are planning an event for NCVRW, be sure to post it to the OVC National Calendar of Events today.
A Community Partnership Approach to Addressing Meth Live Webcast: August 22, 2006 2–3 PM ET. This free, live interactive webcast and satellite broadcast will address the state of the meth epidemic that threatens the health and safety of our nation’s communities. Viewers will learn how community policing and partnerships can be used to enhance enforcement activities as well as prevention efforts. For more information, resource materials, and viewer registration, visit www.DOJConnect.com.
New Criminal Justice Problem Solving Publication Available: “Getting it Right: Collaborative Problem Solving for Criminal Justice,” discusses an approach to envisioning the type of criminal justice system a community wants, assessing the current systems, and planning and implementing strategies to achieve desired outcomes. Topics include comprehensive planning processes, and establishing policy and processes. Not available from NCJRS. For more information, contact the NIC Information Center (800-877-1461).
Juvenile Gun Violence
The Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has released “Reducing Gun Violence: Community Problem Solving in Atlanta.” One in a series of NIJ research reports on reducing gun violence, the report features a program implemented in Atlanta, GA, during the late 1990s to reduce juvenile gun violence. It describes in detail the problem targeted, the program designed to address it, and the problems confronted in designing, implementing, and evaluating the program. See “Reducing Gun Violence: Community Problem Solving in Atlanta” is available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/209800.htm. Print copies may be ordered online at http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/shoppingcart/ShopCart.aspx?item=NCJ%20209800.
Mentoring High-Risk Youth
Public/Private Ventures has released “Positive Support: Mentoring and Depression Among High-Risk Youth.” Funded through a cooperative agreement between Public/Private Ventures and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the report addresses the question: “Can mentoring deter high-risk youth from risky behaviors?” and examines the benefits of matching high-risk youth with faith-based mentors. It describes findings from the National Faith-Based Initiative, in which mentored youth were less likely to show signs of depression than youth who were not mentored. See “Positive Support: Mentoring and Depression Among High-Risk Youth” is available at http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/202_publication.pdf. Printed copies may be ordered online or by fax or e-mail at http://www.ppv.org/ppv/community_faith/community_faith_publications.asp?section_id=3.
KIDS COUNT Data Book
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The broad array of data it provides is intended to shed light on the status of America’s children and to aid in assessing trends in their well being. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key indicators and provides information on child health, education, and family economic conditions. Related information is also available through an online state-level database that covers more than 75 measures of child welfare, including those used in the Data Book. To access the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book, visit http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/databook.jsp. A free hardcopy may be ordered at http://www.aecf.org/publications/browse.php?filter=15. The state-level database may be accessed at http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/index.jsp.
Statistical Briefing Book
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Statistical Briefing Book has been updated to provide users with quick access to the latest available state and county juvenile court case counts for delinquency, status offense, and dependency cases. The Statistical Briefing Book provides online information about juvenile crime and victimization and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. To access state and county court data, visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/ezaco/. To browse the Statistical Briefing Book, visit http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/.
National Youth Gang
Survey Data
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announces the availability of “National Youth Gang Survey: 1999-2001.” This 80-page summary was written by Arlen Egley, Jr., Ph.D.; James C. Howell, Ph.D.; and Aline K. Major of the National Youth Gang Center. Administered by OJJDP’s National Youth Gang Center, the National Youth Gang Survey collects data from a representative sample of law enforcement agencies across the nation. The summary provides results from the 1999, 2000, and 2001 surveys and, when available, preliminary results from the 2002 survey. According to the summary, an estimated 731,500 gang members and more than 21,500 gangs were active in the United States in 2002.
Child Welfare Information
The Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched Child Welfare Information Gateway. This online portal connects visitors to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well being of children and families. Its services include the following:
- an online library of over 48,000 documents
- more than 130 Information Gateway publications
- free subscription services
Questions may be addressed to the customer service center at info@childwelfare.gov or, toll free, at 800-394-3366. http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=209392.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announces the availability of “Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002: Selected Findings.” Written by Melissa Sickmund, Senior Research Associate, National Center for Juvenile Justice, this bulletin is part of OJJDP’s National Report series. The bulletin provides statistics on facilities and offenders by state and facility type, as well as national data on aspects of confinement, overcrowding, suicide, mental health screening, and deaths in custody. See “Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002: Selected Findings” is available online only at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=232342.