It was proposed that for youths who are in trouble with the law, specific behavioral difficulties (e.g. substance abuse) would be associated with the youths' psychological orientation to a deviant lifestyle. Analysis of a sample of 145 status offender and juvenile delinquent cases revealed a significant positive association among 'antisocial orientation and physical abuse, illicit drug use, repeated placements in secure detention, and self-derogation. These relationships held when controlling for the effects of gender, age, and ethnicity. These results support the view that specific behavior problems are related to a valuation of a deviant lifestyle. The implications of these results for service providers are discussed. (Publisher abstract)