Substance abuse in adolescents before admission to Peruvian juvenile detention centers: results from a national census in Peru, 2016

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To estimate the prevalence of drug use before admission to juvenile detention centers (JDC) in Peru and determine individual, family and social influences on behavior. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the 2016 National Population Census in Juvenile Detention Centers (NPCJDC). A total of 1960 Peruvian adolescent offenders were included. Generalized linear models of the Poisson family with a log link function were used to determine if characteristics before admission to a JDC were associated with drug use. These characteristics included employment, depression, neighborhood gang activity, having friends with a criminal record, a history of multiple admissions to a JDC, a history of running away from home, physical abuse during childhood and family history of drug use and incarceration. Results More than half of young offenders reported using drugs before entering a JDC (59%) in Peru. The drug most frequently consumed was cannabis (86.6%), followed by cocaine and/or crack (11.6%), and inhalants and/or pills (1.8%). Smoking cigarettes [prevalence ratios (PR): 1.12, p = 0.003], using alcohol (PR: 1.22, p = 0.003), neighborhood gang activity (PR: 1.28, p < 0.001), having friends with a criminal record (PR: 1.62, p < 0.001), running away from home (PR: 1.20, p < 0.001) and a family history of incarceration (PR: 1.09, p = 0.010) were associated with drug use prior to admission to a JDC. Conclusion Drug use before admission to a JDC was high among young offenders in Peru, with marijuana being the drug most frequently used. Having friends with a criminal record and neighborhood gang activity had the greatest association with drug use in young offenders.