Intervention Principles and Practice Guidelines for - Underage ...

It also gives the offender a chance to make corrections if the officer has not understood him or her
correctly. Reflective statements often help to deflect arguments and keep conversations focused on the
offender’s behavior (Walters et al., 2007).
Practice Guideline 7
Refer underage drinking offenders with alcohol disorders to appropriate alcohol
treatment and monitor their attendance and participation.
For youth whose assessment indicates a need for substance abuse treatment, specific treatment
for alcohol abuse should be integrated with justice system interventions. Alcohol treatment refers
to specific strategies and programs delivered by qualified staff intended to help drinkers discontinue
using alcohol, recover from its adverse effects, and achieve a more prosocial lifestyle. Justice system
professionals seldom will be involved in delivering alcohol or substance abuse treatment. They must be
knowledgeable, however, about the qualities and types of good treatment programs, and how to match
the needs of youth for treatment with the most appropriate type of treatment program. Further,
justice system professionals must monitor the fidelity of treatment delivery and the offender’s progress
in treatment.
Additional research and evaluation studies are needed on alcohol treatment for youth and young
adults, but some general results have been documented (Brannigan, Falco, Dusenbury, & Hansen,
2004):
• Participation in any treatment is more beneficial than no treatment at all.
• The longer the period spent in treatment the more positive the outcome.
• Family participation in treatment is likely to garner more success.
• Skills training as part of the treatment results in more successful outcomes.
• Participation in continuing care activities, such as self-help and support groups, provides more
positive treatment outcomes.
In terms of individual characteristics of youth and young adults in alcohol treatment, those who
come from higher socioeconomic status, who are involved in school, and who started drinking at
an older age have more positive treatment outcomes and are most likely to benefit from outpatient
treatment. For youth who are delinquent or antisocial, the highly structured therapeutic community
environment may produce the best outcomes (Brannigan et al., 2004).
Brannigan and associates (2004) conducted literature reviews to compile the list of effective
treatment elements for adolescents shown in Exhibit V-m. Notice the similarity when compared with
the EBP Principles for justice system interventions discussed throughout this document.
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