Adolescentes y drogas: su relación con la delincuencia

Abstract

This study describes the use of drugs among a sample of 286 adolescents who have had problems with the law in the city of Valencia, Spain. The purpose is to analyze the relationship between criminal careers and drug use. The results indicate that the greater the incidence of crime, the greater the dependence. As for consumption patterns according to the type of substance used, cannabis is associated with initial criminal offenses, while cocaine is associated with more consolidated criminal activity. Consumption takes place in habitual daytime scenarios and spreads to nighttime leisure settings, becoming a particularly important part of the consolidated pattern of everyday life among adolescents in conflict with the law.

Keywords

• Adolescents
• juvenile delinquency (Thesaurus); drugs use
• criminal careers
• risks (Author’s Keywords).