Substance-related disorders (SRD) are common psychiatric morbidities among 
adolescents within youth correctional systems. Identification and treatment of 
SRDs is critical for successful reformation and reintegration. Lack of simple, 
structured, valid, brief screening instruments that can be easily administered 
and scored by lay workers militates against screening for SRDs. We present the 
results of the reliability and concurrent validity of the CRAFFT (acronym for 
Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, and Trouble) substance abuse screening 
instrument among residents of youth correctional facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. 
Adolescents who screened positive on CRAFFT were further assessed with the 
Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) to determine 
whether they met diagnostic criteria for SRDs. The mean CRAFFT scores for all 
the adolescents (n = 178) was 0.66 (SD ± 1.45). A total of 23 (12.9%) had CRAFFT 
scores of >1.00. The CRAFFT instrument has good internal consistency (Cronbach's 
α = 0.85) and 2-week test reliability (Spearman correlation = 0.979; p < .001). 
At a cutoff point of >1.00, CRAFFT had the best sensitivity and specificity 
(area under the curve = 0.889; 95% confidence interval 0.765-1.000) among the 
participants. As validated, the CRAFFT is a reliable instrument for screening 
for SRDs in incarcerated youth.