Increasing Caregiver Engagement in Juvenile Drug Courts

Juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems represent a large and underserved population
that is at high risk of deleterious outcomes and long-term costs for themselves, their
families, communities, and society. Moreover, a high percentage of substance abusing
adolescents continue to abuse substances and engage in criminal activity into adulthood.
Although one juvenile justice intervention, Juvenile Drug Court (JDC), has emerged as a
promising model for reducing drug use and delinquency among youth, its effectiveness is
variable. Drug court outcomes may be compromised by the lack of caregiver engagement in JDC
processes and adolescent drug treatment. Incorporating easily implemented evidence-based
incentive programs in JDCs might improve their effectiveness in reducing youth drug use and
re-offending. An extensive body of research supports the critical role that families play in
the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Although family-based
interventions for adolescent substance abuse have been shown to be superior to other
treatment modalities, parents must attend treatment and participate in meaningful ways for
these superior outcomes to be realized. This randomized clinical trial will examine the
efficacy of a prize-based contingency management intervention for increasing caregiver
engagement (attendance and participation) in JDC and adolescent drug treatment. This
caregiver contingency management intervention (CCM) will be compared with drug court
treatment as usual (TAU). Increased caregiver participation is predicted to improve
adolescent outcomes (decreased drug use and delinquent behavior). One hundred and eighty
youth enrolled in JDC will be randomly assigned along with a parent/caregiver to TAU or CCM.
Analyses will examine measures of caregiver engagement in JDC as well as youth substance use
(urine drug screens) and delinquent activity. Results from this study will demonstrate the
effectiveness of CCM procedures for increasing caregiver attendance and participation in JDC
and adolescent drug treatment above and beyond drug court and usual care. If effective, the
CCM approach may ultimately be used to enhance JDC outcomes, thereby reducing substance use
and recidivism in juvenile offenders served by this promising juvenile justice intervention.

Inclusion Criteria for youth:

- Involved in juvenile drug court

- Aged 13-17 years

- Youth is willing to participate

- At least one caregiver is willing to participate in the youth's treatment

- Fluent in English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria for youth:

- Diagnosed with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder

Inclusion Criteria for caregivers:

- Caregiver of youth involved in juvenile drug court

- Caregiver is willing to participate

- Fluent in English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria for caregivers:

- Diagnosed with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder

Inclusion Criteria for therapists:

- Providing substance abuse treatment to a youth in juvenile drug court

Exclusion Criteria for therapists:

Inclusion Criteria for Juvenile Drug Court Personnel:

- Personnel working in juvenile drug court

Exclusion Criteria for Juvenile Drug Court Personnel: