2Department of Education, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
3Department of Philology and Literature, LMU Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
4Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Rome “Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
5Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia,” Catanzaro, Italy
Despite the copiousness of studies on the risky behaviors of adolescents, we cannot establish with certainty the leading aspects involved in teens’ substance abuse and criminal actions. This review aims to explore the interplay among the family system, substance abuse, and criminal behavior. An analysis of the main results of the 61 articles published between 2010 and 2020 shows that adolescents whose parents are justice-involved and often absent from home are more likely to perceive lower cohesion, support, and poor family communication. These factors can involve them in criminal acts