Many of these influences are indirect. Especially among male juveniles, the incidence of drug crime is much higher amongst those who do not attend school than it is amongst those who do regularly attend (Office of National Drug Policy 2000). Family structure, in turn, has a huge effect on school attendance. In two parent homes, especially where both biological parents of the juveniles are married and in a healthy relationship, children are much more likely to attend school and to refrain from drug use (U.S. Department of Justice 2001; Office of National Drug Policy 2000). In addition, families with fewer children tend to have fewer issues with criminality altogether and drug use especially than families with more children (Masters & Shear 1998).

Though causality has not been fully determined, the correlation between these aspects of family structure and the incidence of drug crimes among juveniles is very strong. It is...
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