Population

The present study leveraged data from FLDJJ, which has collected comprehensive data on all youth entering the FLDJJ system since 2005. The current study includes all youth assessed on three successive occasions with the full assessment. Youth are assessed at intake and every 90 days during supervision. This protocol resulted in three waves: initial intake, 3 months, and 6 months. During intake and in the community, trained FLDJJ staff and counselors administered the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) assessment through in-depth interviews and coded the data using the FLDJJ interface. Those who never reported current SU (neither alcohol nor drugs) were excluded from this sample. A sample of 12,128 JIC met the selection criteria for the study, representing youth who reported using (non-medical or illicit) substances in the past 6 months and had data on each covariate. Substance use ranges from single or experimental use to more frequent and severe use. See the CONSORT diagram in Fig. 1. Among the study sample, 42.5% were White (n = 5149), 39.9% of youth were Black (n = 4844), 17.6% were Latinx (n = 2135), and less than 1.0% were classified as other race (n = 161). Approximately 18% of the sample was female.

Flow Diagram on History of Self-Reported Referral to SUD Assessment Status. JIA who were not currently using substances were excluded because non-current users do not fit the criteria for referral to SUD assessments. History of Self-Reported Referral to SUD is conditional on current SU. This diagram decribes research methods not FLDJJ processes