The Relationship Between Juvenile Crime and Substance Usage

Joshua Jones

Loras College, Department of Criminal Justice

Dr. Valerie Bell

April 17, 2021

 Abstract

This study looks at the correlation between juvenile crime and substance use. Using

SPSS, the Monitoring the Future database was analyzed with Pearson's R correlation tests, chi-

squared tests, and t-tests. The information about substance usage and delinquent activity was

focused on. Using Pearson's R correlation and chi-squared the correlation and significance

between substance and crime were examined. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and

cocaine were tested to see the correlation between crime. Marijuana was the strongest correlation

with .315, while alcohol (.229) and cocaine (.156) also showed weaker, but positive correlations.

The chi-square test illustrated the significance with p < .001. Thus, allowing the conclusion that

substance usage does affect juvenile crime.

The Relationship Between Juvenile Crime and Substance Use

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 2019 there

was a total number of 696,620 arrests of individuals under the age of 18 (Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2019). What is causing these young individuals to commit

crimes? The true cause may never be known why individuals commit crimes, but we can attempt

to understand. One factor that may contribute to the overall crime rate is substance abuse. From

prior research, there seems to be a relatively small amount of studies that seek to see if substance

usage is the cause for crime amongst juveniles. The one study that occurred here in the United

States that looks at the correlation between a substance and crime found that individuals do

commit more crime than individuals who don't use a substance (Kolp, Hershberger, Sanders,
Um, Aalsma, & Cyders, 2018). Most studies that have taken place inside the United States

involving crime rates and substance use focus on adults. If the study does focus on juvenile’s

then usually the researchers factor substance use to be a crime itself and focus on research that

can improve prevention methods. It seems that a majority of the studies that have been conducted

to find the correlation between juvenile crime rates and substance use have been conducted in

locations outside of the U.S.A. That is why I seek out to answer the question, does substance use

affect juvenile crime rates? With little research being conducted here in the U.S.A. to find the

reasoning behind why a juvenile commits a crime; we cannot have any conclusions on the

correlation between substance use and crime. The study that the researcher conducted looks to

find this correlation. With this study, potentially an understanding can be made on whether to

find better prevention methods or to stop wasting resources on certain prevention methods. The

prevention methods referred to would-be mass programs that hope to educate and prevent

juveniles from ever consuming a substance. For this study, the hypotheses are that crime rates

are higher amongst juveniles who abuse a substance compared to juveniles who do not abuse a

substance. When it comes to sex, males will consume more often than women which potentially

could cause men to commit more crime than women.

Literature Review

Studies around the world have tried to determine whether or not substance use affects

crime rates. Most of the studies that were observed, take place in European countries. With that

being said, we still have not been able to conclude if there is a direct correlation between the use

of a substance and crime rates in the United States of America. More importantly, if the youth of

this country are affected by substance use and crime rates. Most of the research that I have seen

focuses on adults and not adolescents. That is why the research question sought out to answer is
whether substance abuse affects juvenile crime rates. Hopefully, detention centers and other

individuals will be able to develop better prevention methods, no matter what the conclusion is.

A definitive conclusion would allow legislation to potentially reallocate funding to or away from

juvenile prevention depending on the results of the study.

The question is whether or not substance abuse affects juvenile crime rates. One study

that has attempted to find a correlation between substance abuse and juvenile crime rates was

conducted in New Delhi, India. Sharma, Sharma, and Barkataki (2016) conducted a study with

participants from an observational home called Prayas. Four hundred eighty-seven boys between

the ages 8 and 18 participated in this study. They collected data on participants through records

and interviews twice a week for a year. After they collected all the data they analyzed it using

SPSS. After analyses, the researchers concluded that juveniles under the influence had a higher

crime rate. The only concern with this study is that it was conducted outside of the United States.

It is hard to correlate statistics from a study conducted solely in India and apply them to the

United States. Kolp, Hershberger, Sanders, Um, Aalsma, & Cyders were another group of

researchers who examined the correlation between substance use and crime amongst juveniles

(2018). The study they conducted looks at the relationship between illicit drug use and conduct

disorder. The researchers gathered data using self-report surveys and screenings. The researchers

gathered a sample size of 245 juveniles who were detained and court-ordered to take a

psychological assessment. The results of the study show that individuals with positive attitudes

toward illicit drug use are more likely to engage in conduct disorder. The individuals that use

illicit drugs are more likely to engage in conduct disorder also. From their conclusions, the

researchers would like to see more targeted methods to reduce positive attitudes toward illicit

drug use.
Many studies have attempted to answer the question of substance abuse and crime rates for the

reason of treatment. The studies that looked at the correlation for treatment oftentimes look at the

protective and risk factors. These don’t necessarily find the exact correlation to substance use

and crime, but they do provide plenty of helpful information. The studies that look at protective

and risk factors can help lead to better treatment or prevention methods. Hillege, Brand, Mulder,

Vermeiren, and Van Domburgh (2017) studied multiple subgroups to find beneficial specific

treatments. The most important part of this study to me was the size of the subgroup labeled

substance abuse problems. This subgroup made up 16.8% of the sample size. They were able to

compare it to a previous study because this was a replication. By comparing the two studies they

were able to conclude that the substance abuse subgroup grew significantly. Another study that

takes the specific treatment approach was conducted by De Ruigh, Popma, Twisk, Wiers, Van

Der Baan, Vermeiren, and Jansen (2019). They wanted to see if certain problems in an individual

life contributed to the quality of life. If these problems were assessed and diagnosed then

potentially treatments could be used to improve quality of life. During the study, they found that

substance abuse was an indicator of lower quality of life. This potentially leading to higher crime

rates and more delinquent activity. Another, study focusing on the treatment of substance abuse

is one conducted by Dutmers (2017). This study did not exactly conclude there was any

correlation between juvenile crime rates and substance abuse, but the study is still helpful. The

study rather found that specific treatment and other untraditional punishments can be beneficial

and potentially more effective. So, the study looked at the recidivism rates of college students

who had a substance abuse problem. The results show that after the college drug court

individual's recidivism rates are extremely low. Now, this study is difficult to use because the

sample does not target juveniles. Another study that takes this school approach for combating
substance use problems was conducted by Pattojoshi and Tikka (2020). This study examines

many different methods that are used to prevent individuals from using a substance. They

conducted the study because there is a high prevalence of the issue with low means to combat the

problem. Using school-based methods the researchers hope to combat the issue. Another study

that looked at protective and risk factors was conducted by Trujillo, Obando, Trujillo &

Maslowsky (2019). The study looks at the predictors of substance abuse during childhood that

increases the chance for substance abuse when a juvenile becomes an adult. The predictor they

specifically look at is early initiation (using a substance at an age <15). They then examine what

factors can predict early initiation, such as communities and social factors. The study's goal was

to hopefully find the factors that cause early initiation. By doing this they potentially can find

ways to combat the factors and early initiation as a whole. The researchers surveyed 1,272

adolescents between the age of 12 and 19, with the average age of the participant being roughly

15 years old. The majority of the study participants were female (56%). By collecting

information on substance use/exposure, the researcher should understand the tendencies of an

individual and substance abuse. The social behaviors should expose the antisocial characteristics

and other characteristics that may lead to this early initiation. The researchers also separated the

individuals into categories from early initiation, middle initiation, and late initiation. They target

the factors that can predict substance abuse. The study found five major risk factors for drug use

amongst teenagers. They show that the five biggest effects are found for parental positive

attitudes towards drug use, perceived availability of drugs, family conflict, family history of

antisocial behavior, and poor family management. The participants had to answer every question

to continue the survey due to it being electronical. The survey would not let the participant

continue with an unmarked question. Potentially, more research can be used to create better
health policies. Another study that was observed was conducted by Walters (2020). This study

looks to see if there is an effect of prosocial peers and if they can impede future delinquency and

drug use. The sample size of the study was 2905 early adolescents with 1417 individuals being

male and 1488 being female. The age of the participants was in the range of 10 to 14 years old

with the average age being about 12. The majority of the study participants were white. The data

was gathered using a panel design and self-reports. The data provided produced mixed results

not allowing the researchers to conclude on whether or not prosocial peers affect delinquency

and drug use. On the contrary, drug use and delinquency can be more attached to antisocial

peers. Prosocial peers seem to have less of an effect or no effect due to the inconsistency of

results. When examining peer sociability and delinquency/drug use antisocial peers are more of

an indicator. The limitations of this study are that the data that the researchers used was nearly 25

years old. Although the study itself is new, the data used is potentially outdated. Also, the data

was self-reported by very young individuals. The worry is that they may not have known what

something meant. This self-report could have produced unrealistic results. The researchers would

like more studies on prosocial behavior. They feel there is plenty of antisocial behavioral studies,

so to find better results the prosocial behaviors need to be examined also. Lastly, the final study

that was observed was conducted by Mahmood, Othman, Al-Tawil, Al-Hadithi (2019). This

study aimed to determine the prevalence of substance use and certain associated factors among

high school students in Erbil City, Iraq. A sample of 3000 students was used to gather data and

analyze results. A modified version of the School Survey on Drug Use from the United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime was used for data collection. 27.6% of participants had smoked a

cigarette in their lifetime, 23.6% had smoked a waterpipe, and 3.7% had consumed alcohol. The

study concluded that males between the age of 17 and 19 with a family history of smoking were
the most likely to smoke. Along with cigarette smoking, many other predictive factors were

accessed for waterpipe smoking and alcohol.

Only one study I examined looked at the prevalence of a substance amongst juveniles. A

study was conducted on 10th graders in the Los Angeles area that also looked at the prevalence of

cannabis and was conducted by Peters, Bae, & Barrington-Trimis (2018). This study looked at

the use and frequency of cannabis amongst 10th graders. The researchers were hoping to find the

prevalence of cannabis amongst youths. To gather their data, in 2015 a survey was handed out to

ten high schools in the Los Angeles area. The survey was self-report and it asks questions related

to cannabis use, frequency of use, and method of consumption. The sample size was 3,177 tenth-

grader, which consisted of 1,715 females (54%). The study found that 13.8% of men used

cannabis in the last 30 days and 13.1% of women. This study had a few limits that need to be

brought to attention. The results section is rather small not allowing the viewer to see the data.

The survey was a self-report which could potentially give inaccurate results. Lastly, the survey

was given to schools in the Los Angeles area only. The results may not represent the whole

youth population, but rather just larger city populations. Now, the results of the 10th grader class

can be used to compare and contrast between other age groups. Also, from the data females made

up the majority of the population, but used cannabis less than the male population.

Methods

The question that is sought out to be answered is whether or not juvenile substance abuse

contributes to higher juvenile crime rates. More or less, the two variables are oftentimes lumped

together into one category of crime. By separating the variables, potentially, a risk factor for

crime amongst juveniles can be identified. If the hypothesis, is accepted then it will indicate that

we should focus more so on preventing juvenile’s from abusing a substance. The hypothesis that
is proposed is that juveniles that use a substance will engage in more crime than juveniles who

do not use a substance. This hypothesis and study will be assessed with the lens of Cohen’s

Anomie Strain Theory (CAST). CAST is defined as, So, this theory says that juveniles are

measured against the middle class. The juveniles who do not meet this middle-class standard we

have here in the United States feel a sense of deprivation. Just like any other strain theory the

deprivation leads to the individual ultimately committing crimes. This theory was chosen

because the theory itself focuses on juveniles. Also, the theory will allow a unique view of

substance use and criminal activity. This theory can help potentially help explain the reasoning

behind the juveniles that use a substance commit more crimes. Juvenile substance use itself is

deviant. The use of a substance itself may be the result of not meeting middle-class standards,

which potentially leads to more crime due to the lack of status. Monitoring the Future database is

where the data used in this study will come from. This database is an SPSS database that has

information on a questionnaire that is conducted on 12th graders annually since 1975. The data is

not compounded, every year has its own set of data. The data set that will be specifically

assessed is from the year 2017. The data is collected from 130 public and private schools every

year. The schools are randomly selected and are supposed to represent the youth population of

the United States. Public and private schools are selected from each geographic region to have a

representation from all areas of the United States. Once the schools are selected, only 150 seniors

from each school are allowed to participate in the study. If the school has less than 150 seniors,

all the seniors will participate. If the school has more than 150 students, they are again randomly

selected as participants. Once the selection process is over the students are eventually given

questionnaires and are monitored by teachers while filling out the survey. The questionnaire

consists of multiple different categories to find out the maximum amount of information about
the individuals. The categories are questions about work, school, substance use, delinquent

activity, etc. The categories that were focused on for the study were substance use and delinquent

activity. With the research question being, does substance use affect juvenile crime rates? These

categories must be the focus of the study. After all the Monitoring the Future survey data was

collected, it was used to create an SPSS database containing all the information from each

participant. The results that this study found were all analyzed using SPSS.

Results

Figure 1
Figure 3

Figure 4
Figure 5

Figure 6

Data-Analysis

The data collected from the Monitoring the Future survey was used to run multiple

Pearson's R correlation tests, a chi-square test, and a t-test. All the tests were running with the
intention to either test correlation or significance. Figure 1 was a Pearson's R correlation test

using a variable that symbolized substance use and a variable symbolizing crime. The substance

variable asked participants how many times have they consumed alcohol in the last 12 months.

The crime variable asked the participants how many times they have stolen an item with a value

of fewer than 50 dollars. These two variables were used to run the Pearson's R correlation that

can be observed under Figure 1. Between the two variables, there is a correlation that is worth

noting (.229) The .229 shows that there is a slight correlation between at least alcohol and theft.

The test is statistically significant with a significance level below .001. Therefore, the variable

does have an explanatory correlation and representative of the entire youth population. Figure 2,

Pearson's R correlation was used to find if there is a correlation between substance use and

crime, again. This time instead of using alcohol as a variable, marijuana was used. Marijuana

was substituted out to find out if the correlation applied to more substances than just alcohol. The

marijuana variable asked how times the individual had consumed marijuana in the past year.

This variable asks the same question as the alcohol variable but changes it from alcohol to

marijuana. The crime variable was used as a control variable and kept the same. By keeping the

crime variable, it allows the researcher to easily compare the difference in correlation between

each substance. Again, there was a statistically significant (p < .001) correlation that occurred

while using these variables. Marijuana and theft of an item less than $50 correlated worth noting

(.315). With the significance level being below .001, the correlation is not of random chance and

applies to the general population. Figure 3 is the results of the last Pearson's R correlation that

ran during this study. For this test, cocaine usage in the past 12 months was used as the substance

variable. Again, theft of an item worth less than $50 was the crime variable. The correlation

amongst these two variables was the weakest out of all the Pearson’s R correlation tests. With
this correlation being .156, it is still worth noting. The significance of the test was again

below .001. To be able to conclude using these correlation tests, a chi-square test was used to

discover the significance between the substance variables and the crime variable. Going back to

the first variables, individual’s alcohol consumption in the past 12 months and individual's

history if steal items less than $50 in value, significance was tested with chi-squared. Figure 4

illustrates the results of the chi-squared test. With the chi-squared test showing that the results

provided are statistically significant (p < .001), the null hypothesis is rejected. The last test that

was run during this study was a t-test to examine the difference between men and women when it

came to substance usage. The hypothesis being that men consume more substance than women is

put to the test. The variables used in this t-test were sex, to distinguish between male and female.

The second variable used was alcohol consumption in the past 12 months. Using the most

accessible substance, the variables were put to the test. Figures 5 and 6 show the results of the

test. Men had an average of 2.68 times alcohol was consumed to women's 2.52 times alcohol was

consumed. Even though the means are relatively close, the t-test is significant (p < .001).

Therefore, we can reject the null hypothesis.

Discussion

Using three different variables that symbolize a substance, it is observed that all three

substances correlate to crime. Like Kolp et al. (2018) this study produced results that illustrate

the correlation between substance use and undesirable/criminal behavior. Combined with the chi-

square test for significance, the null hypothesis is rejected and the hypothesis of individuals who

consume substances more often are more likely to commit a crime is accepted. For every test that

was used to find the correlation between a substance and a crime, there was at least a correlation

worth noting. It seems that substances that are more socially acceptable such as, alcohol and
marijuana, show a stronger correlation than unsocially acceptable drugs. Alcohol is socially

acceptable due to it being legal. Also, in the United States, there are phrases like "social

drinking" and many other phrases that illustrate the acceptance of alcohol consumption.

Marijuana is less socially acceptable than alcohol, but over the last five years, there has been

increased acceptance. This can be observed through the legalization of recreational use that has

taken place in many states across the United States. When it comes to cocaine usage in the

United States, there seems to be little to no efforts that advocate for the acceptance and

legalization of the substance. Potentially, these could explain why the results show a stronger

correlation amongst alcohol and marijuana to crime compared to cocaine and crime. It is

important to examine the strength of correlation to crime between each substance because it can

be used to develop better prevention methods. Potentially, prevention methods can be focused

more on the prevention of alcohol and marijuana consumption. The results indicate that would be

the most effective method. For studies that attempt to find better treatment or prevention

methods such as, Trujillo et al. (2019), Walter (2020), the results of this study can be used to

assess what methods are best.

When it comes to the second hypothesis, men will consume substances more often than

women, we also reject the null. Like the study conducted by Peters et al. (2018), the results

indicate that men do slightly consume on average more often than women. The sign indicates

that it is statistically significant. The fact that men consume more substance than women on

average is important for explaining crime. Potentially, this can lead to further research on sex

and juvenile crime rates. Thus, furthering the explanation and potentially providing a clear risk

factor for juveniles committing a crime. If proven that men commit more crime than women

substance usage could be the potential explanation. In this study and the one done by Peters et al.
(2018), women were the majority of participants. Even with women being the majority, men

were the sex that consumed more often.

Limitations

Although, the study produced results that allowed conclusions to be drawn. There were

still limitations to the data and methods that potentially didn’t provide the best results. First, the

data that was used was collected using a self-report survey. This can potentially cause a bias

which would provide inaccurate data and overall skewing the results. The bias would be that the

individual put answers to each question that they believed the researchers wanted to see and not

actual reports of life experiences. On the contrary, individuals potentially didn’t provide accurate

information for the fear that the answers they provided could lead to the participant getting in

trouble. The second limitation was that the survey was not conducted by the researcher of this

study, but rather the data used for this study was from an already existing database. The reason

for this being a limitation is that not all questions that were asked could potentially provide more

detail on the topic of substance use and juvenile crime. For this study, the results were produced

from what was already accessible.

Conclusion

The results of this study show a positive correlation between substance usage and

juvenile crime. Therefore, allowing the hypothesis to be accepted. The hypothesis is that

individuals who use a substance are more likely to engage in crime than individuals who don't

use a substance. More research can be done to develop better treatment programs and preventive

methods. Overall, the correlation between substance and crime is relevant amongst juveniles and

needs more research.

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