Rick Thomas, a substance abuse counselor for the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, said by the time a child on the reservation reaches the age of 9, he or she has buried three to five people close to them. Why the statistics lean against American Indian youth remains a daunting question, but the report, while it ignores any racial indicators, puts the blame squarely on factors that come from family and community. The three main reasons youth are incarcerated at such a high rate are substance abuse, depression and gang involvement. The report asserts those reasons can be prevented. Each issue can send a youth down a path to destruction, but each one works in a way that enhances the others, the report stated.
Substance abuse is at the top of the list of offenses for which American Indian youths are arrested.
Youths in the American Indian community make up 43 percent of the entire American Indian population while they are arrested for substance abuse at a rate twice that of all youths. Alcohol fuels crime, not only in youths, but in adults as well. One of the strongest contributing factors to foster criminal activity is depression, the study argues. Research verifies that many juveniles in trouble suffer from depression. Data suggested that 73 percent of the youths in facilities across the country suffered from some form of depression.