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Dr. Lynda A.R. Stein from the Brown University Center of Alcohol and Addiction Studies speaks at the Cancer Prevention Research Center yesterday.

Professor presents study on treatment, drug use in juvenile correctional facilities

By: James Faughnan

Posted: 11/8/05

11/08/05 - The University of Rhode Island Psychology Department hosted a presentation yesterday in the Cancer Prevention Research Center about substance abuse and other risky behavior in juvenile delinquents.

The presentation, "Rationale, Description, and Methodological Issues of Group Treatment in a Juvenile Correctional Facility," was presented by Lynda A.R. Stein, an assistant professor in psychiatry and human behavior at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies.

Stein's discussion focused on the impact of alcohol and marijuana on teenagers, which she has studied through her work at the Rhode Island Training School. Staff at the school work with juvenile delinquents and help them cope with stress, gender issues, abuse and domestic violence. Stein said that for the most part her presentation was meant to highlight the impact of the substance abuse and the difference between alcohol and marijuana.

Stein also said she wanted to focus on conducting studies that compare substance abuse among various ethnicities. She said such studies have been neglected too long. She plans to separate the studies into African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites in the center.

The training school holds about 1,200 to 1,500 nine to 18-year-olds a year, who are committed for anything from truancy to murder, although murder charges are very rare. The average age of the common inmate is 16.5, and the average stay tends to be six months. The population consists of 10 percent girls. Everyone is provided with schooling, dental and medical assistance.

The presentation revolved around the involvement of substances, specifically with alcohol and marijuana. Stein said that the amount of drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine is so minimal they are barely worth the attention of studies.

Stein said statistics suggest that adolescents tend to agree that alcohol is something that can have a negative effect on their lives, however, it appears that they have no problems with marijuana and cited her research that shows 73 percent of the adolescents agreed that marijuana had a positive effect.

"Some of them felt it was positive claiming it even helped them with their ADD," Stein said.

Stein ended her presentation by answering several questions, one being her hope for the project.

"I'm just hoping something works," she said.