Undetected, Not Absent: Adolescent Substance Use, Unaddressed Behavior, and First Arrest in Adulthood

Most adolescent offending and substance use never reaches an official record. Using a national U.S. cohort followed from 1994–95 to 2016–18, this study asked how much adolescent behavior preceded a first adult arrest among 2,771 respondents who reached adulthood without one, and whether anyone responded to it. Of the 748 later arrested, 86% had offended or used substances as adolescents, compared with 64% of those never arrested. Only 22% of arrestees who had used substances received counseling or treatment, while 42% of all arrestees had been suspended or expelled. Adolescent substance use predicted a first adult arrest net of reported offending, school sanctions, and counseling. A first adult arrest often marks behavior that was present, and largely unaddressed, years earlier.