Foreword Resources represent investments that should be allocated with prudence. The resources of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) are used to target key aspects of preventing and treating delinquency. Juvenile drug use, one of these critical areas, has risen significantly over the past several years, with one in two high school seniors in 1996 reporting having used illicit drugs. While this problem is of concern in itself, the clear correlation between substance abuse and other forms of delinquency gives further reason for concern. The prevalence of juvenile drug use, therefore, burdens our juvenile justice system and places the future of our youth at considerable risk. While we are working to reduce juvenile substance abuse by educating youth about the risks of drug use and reducing the risk factors that contribute to drug use, we must also intervene with youth who are using drugs. The first step to effective intervention, however, is to identify those youth who are engaged in substance abuse. Drug Identification and Testing in the Juvenile Justice System highlights findings from two projects funded by OJJDP to demonstrate innovative ways to identify and intervene with substance-abusing juveniles. The outcomes described in this Summary should assist juvenile justice agencies seeking to develop programs to identify, screen, and test youth for illicit drug use. Those who share OJJDP's commitment to protecting our youth and our communities from the tragic toll of drug use will find the information provided in these pages worth reading.
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