Juvenile Drug Use and Delinquency: Youths' Accounts of Their Trajectories

Abstract

This study focuses mainly on youths' opinions about their delinquency and drug use trajectories. A qualitative approach was taken for this phenomenological research. The life account method was used to conduct a total of 62 interviews: 36 boys and 26 girls recruited in youth detention and addiction treatment centers, youth centers, high schools, and on the streets of three cities in Quebec between 1996 and 2002. Thematic analysis was used, and the deviant trajectories of the youths are broken down into five stages. Our study provides an incomplete view of these youths' more or less deviant trajectories. It would be interesting to do a follow-up study.

Keywords:

• youths
• qualitative
• trajectories
• drugs
• delinquency

Notes

^aThis article constitutes an authorized shortened translation of a submitted book chapter written in French: Brunelle, N., Brochu, S., Cousineau, M.-M. (2005).

^bSee Stahler and Cohen (2000) for a discussion on the complementary contribution of qualitative studies in the drug abuse field.

^cA grid containing different themes was used as an interview guide.

^dPractitioners were provided with a document containing instructions explaining how to introduce the study to potential participants and sampling criteria to meet.

^eThe main investigator (author) conducted 38 interviews, while 24 were conducted by one of her research assistants who is studying Special Education for her master's degree and who was trained by the author.

^fThis stage is similar to the phase of the same name in Brochu's drug-crime integrative model (1995) concerning adults.

^gIt is possible to link this theory to Goldstein's tripartite model (1985, 1987) psychopharmacological explanation because the drug's effect on certain adolescents could contribute to their committing a crime. However, teenagers' expectations surrounding the effects of the drugs taken can actually lead them to commit the offence. Let's not forget Marlatt and Rohsenow's study (1980) on placebo effects. Nevertheless, utilitarian purpose of drug use constitutes another motivation to continue consuming drugs for some adolescents.

^hThis economic association is not observed in Goldstein's economic compulsive model (1985, 1987) concerning adult, because adults must be dependant on very expensive drugs and have low legal income to observe this phenomenon. Consequently, it is usually noticed later on in the adult drug use trajectory.

ⁱThis situation is probably due to our information being taken from a sample that had already been through events where they were seized by the Child Welfare Services in virtue of the Child welfare law (LPJ) and Young delinquent law (LJC). The results might not have appeared in another population.

^jThis kind of situation corresponds to the economic compulsive phase in Brochu's integrative model (1995) designed to explain drug crime relationship among adults.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

NATACHA BRUNELLE

Natacha Brunelle, Ph.D., in criminology from University of Montreal's, 2001, is a professor in the Department of Special Education at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and is a researcher at the International Center for Comparative Criminology (CICC) and at the Groupe de recherche et d'intervention sur l'adaptation psychosociale et scolaire (GRIAPS) of the UQTR. She specializes in qualitative studies about youths' drug use and delinquency trajectories.

MARIE-MARTHE COUSINEAU

M.-M. Cousineau, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the School of criminology of the University of Montreal and associate researcher at the International Centre for comparative criminology and at the Research institute for the youth social development. Her main research interest focuses on young people facing different kind of difficulties (street gang members, youths on the street, youths addicted to alcohol or drugs).

SERGE BROCHU

Serge Brochu, Ph.D., in clinical psychology in 1981 is a full professor at the School of Criminology of University of Montreal; past director of the International Center for Comparative Criminology (1996–2004), and co-director of Recherche et intervention sur les substances psychoactives—Québec (RISQ). His research themes are on drug/crime relationships, treatment of addict offenders and Program evaluation. He is the author of 77 papers published in scientific journals, seven books, 32 chapters, and has presented at 165 scientific conferences; the majority of these publications deal with prevalence of drug use among offenders, treatment program for addict offenders, and drug-crime connection.