Juvenile Arrests for Alcohol and Other Drugs - 2003 Dallas County Drug Impact Index

Juvenile Arrests for Alcohol & Other Drugs

The Connection
Each year, more than 10,000 young adults are taken into custody by law enforcement agencies in Dallas County for alleged criminal conduct. At the time of arrest, 45% of those youth test positive for drugs. As many as 75% of youth under Juvenile Court supervision use drugs on a frequent basis.¹

The Costs
“The cost of treating these young adults is astronomical. Each year, we send hundreds of youth to residential treatment centers at a cost of $28,000 per child. The cost to incarcerate these youth who are awaiting trial averages over $110 per day. Obviously, prevention and early intervention would be less costly to tax payers than the high price of crime.”¹

In the News
Dallas Morning News, February 1999
Police ticketed more than 150 teens for public intoxication, alcohol possession, and curfew violations during a raid on a party in a vacant Deep Ellum building. One partygoer was taken in an ambulance to a hospital with acute alcohol poisoning. More than 250 youths ages 14–19 attended the party. About 30 officers from three police departments and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission helped plan and carry out the raid.

GDCADA Web Reports
    Binge Drinking on the Rise
    Girls More Prone to Alcohol and Other Drug Use
    Inhalant Abuse: The Invisible Threat
    Parents Warned About 24-Proof Gelatin
    Prescription Drug Abuse Growing Among Youths

Make A Difference: Report underage drinking by contacting the the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission at (888) 843-8222.

Report possible illegal drug activities to the police (911).; Do not provide alcohol to youth who are under the age of 21 or host parties where youth are consuming alcohol.

Volunteer for programs that provide alcohol and other drug prevention activities – for example, the Alliance on Underage Drinking