Most criminally involved drug-using females are mothers and are a disenfranchised population; although, little data are available on the differences between female drug users with children and female drug users without children in their care with regard to income, stability, resources, and other economic and contextual variables. Given the lack of information on criminally involved drug-using women, this study examines differences between drug-using women with children and drug-using women without children in their care with regard to basic demographics, mobility, resources, drug use, and legal problems or involvement. Participants selected for this examination included 154 criminally involved female drug users who had given birth to at least one child and were selected from a larger sample of 214 women who were randomly assigned to participate in a legal session. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the differences and similarities of the two groups. An ethnic-racial disparity was evident when examining the differences of characteristics of women who have children in their care versus those who do not. Overall, data from this study suggest that both groups of women are on the edge in terms of poverty, addiction, and rearrest. These results indicate that proactive measures that address this high-risk group are required.

Alcohol and drug use related crimes continue to be processed in juvenile courts at high rates. One approach for addressing substance related issues has been the implementation of juvenile drug courts. Juvenile drug courts were established given the wide-spread success of adult drug courts. However, juvenile drug courts require different components as compared to adult models. This article provides a description of a juvenile drug court in Southern Arizona and examines treatment outcomes by gender and race=ethnicity. Youth participating in the drug court evidenced positive changes in substance related issues, delinquency and juvenile justice involvement, and sexual risk behaviors. Differential effects were evidenced between boys and girls and white andThe authors wish to acknowledge the project staff and others who helped with the preparation of this article including Jutta Butler, Deborah Hargadon, Randy Muck, Shiori Yamamoto. Also, we wish to acknowledge all the youth and families who gave of their time and experiences to participate in the project.