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Complicated Lives focuses on the lives of sixty-five drug-using girls in the juvenile justice system (living in group homes, a residential treatment center, and a youth correctional facility) who grew up in families characterized by parental drug use, violence, and child maltreatment. Vera Lopez situates girls' relationships with parents who fail to live up to idealized parenting norms and examines how these relationships change over time, and ultimately contribute to the girls' future drug use and involvement in the justice system. While Lopez's subjects express concerns and doubt in their chances for success, Lopez provides an optimistic prescription for reform and improvement of the lives of these young women and presents a number of suggestions ranging from enhanced cultural competency training for all juvenile justice professionals to developing stronger collaborations between youth and adult serving systems and agencies.

Female juvenile delinquents --- Teenage girls --- Children of drug abusers --- Drug abusers' children --- Drug abusers --- Adolescent girls --- Female adolescents --- Girls --- Teenagers --- Delinquent girls --- Juvenile delinquents --- Social conditions --- Drug use --- Family relationships --- drugs, girls, drug use, drug abuse, family, correctional facility, youth correctional facility, juvie, juvenile delinquent, drug addict, drug addiction, violence, child abuse, heroin, meth, crack, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, juvenile justice, group home.