Drug use and offending behaviour among young people excluded from school

TY - JOUR

T1 - Drug use and offending behaviour among young people excluded from school

AU - Powis, B

AU - Griffiths, P

AU - Gossop, M

AU - Lloyd, C

AU - Strang, J

PY - 1998/11

Y1 - 1998/11

N2 - Increasing concern is being placed upon the long-term outcomes of pupils excluded front school and their possible increasing involvement in drug use and crime. Data presented in this paper explore levels of drug use and offending behaviour of a sample of 14-16-year-olds Excluded from school. Interviews were conducted with 86 school excludees attending Pupil Referral Units (education centres for young people excluded from school) in North West London during 1996, as part of an ongoing evaluation of a drugs education intervention being delivered by the Home Office Drug Prevention Initiative ive. The majority of the excludees lived in single parent families with nearly two-thirds having no adult wage cal earner. Over half of subjects were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Offending behaviour among the sample was high. Nearly all had committed a criminal offence, with nearly half having committed an assault or wounding and nearly a third having committed a burglary. Levels of lifetime, current drug use, and the range of drugs used were also high among the sample. Over three-quarters of the excludees (78%) had used an illicit drug, with 38% having used a drug other than cannabis. Nir-le per cent reported lifetime use of cocaine and 5% use of crack cocaine. The data would suggest that young people attending Pupil Referral Units are a high risk group in terms of drug use and offending and would be air appropriate group for targeting interventions, although developing such interventions is likely to be challenging. Subjects had long histol ies of persistent truanting, previous exclusions and contact with social welfare and cl criminal justice organizations. However, bearing in mind the extent of their previous drug taking and cl criminal behaviour, this group might particularly benefit from early interventions, prior to the onset of these problematic behaviours.

AB - Increasing concern is being placed upon the long-term outcomes of pupils excluded front school and their possible increasing involvement in drug use and crime. Data presented in this paper explore levels of drug use and offending behaviour of a sample of 14-16-year-olds Excluded from school. Interviews were conducted with 86 school excludees attending Pupil Referral Units (education centres for young people excluded from school) in North West London during 1996, as part of an ongoing evaluation of a drugs education intervention being delivered by the Home Office Drug Prevention Initiative ive. The majority of the excludees lived in single parent families with nearly two-thirds having no adult wage cal earner. Over half of subjects were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Offending behaviour among the sample was high. Nearly all had committed a criminal offence, with nearly half having committed an assault or wounding and nearly a third having committed a burglary. Levels of lifetime, current drug use, and the range of drugs used were also high among the sample. Over three-quarters of the excludees (78%) had used an illicit drug, with 38% having used a drug other than cannabis. Nir-le per cent reported lifetime use of cocaine and 5% use of crack cocaine. The data would suggest that young people attending Pupil Referral Units are a high risk group in terms of drug use and offending and would be air appropriate group for targeting interventions, although developing such interventions is likely to be challenging. Subjects had long histol ies of persistent truanting, previous exclusions and contact with social welfare and cl criminal justice organizations. However, bearing in mind the extent of their previous drug taking and cl criminal behaviour, this group might particularly benefit from early interventions, prior to the onset of these problematic behaviours.

KW - SUBSTANCE USE

KW - ADOLESCENTS

KW - PREVENTION

KW - KNOWLEDGE

KW - TRUANCY

KW - ABUSE

M3 - Article

SN - 0968-7637

VL - 5

SP - 245

EP - 256

JO - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

JF - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

IS - 3

ER -