The Health of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Mental Health and Substance-Related Treatment Utilization, Dropout, and Continuity of Care among Detained Adolescents: A 14-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Further, as many as 20%-25% of DAs are current or expectant parents, compared to only 2% of non-detained adolescent males and 6% of non-detained adolescent females (Braverman, & Murray, 2011;Sedlak, 2009). Finally, evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth are likely to be over-represented within the detained adolescent population (Curtin, 2002;Schaffner, 1998).…”

“…When not incarcerated, at least half of all DAs live in poverty and receive some form of government assistance or public aid (Johnson et al, 2004;Robertson, Dill, Hussain, & Undesser, 2004). Evidence suggests that socioeconomic status, rather than race or ethnicity, may be the critical factor underlying the disproportionate number of minority adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, since Black and Hispanic adolescents are more likely to live in poverty (Braverman, & Murray, 2011).…”

“…For example, NCCHC guidelines recommend that facilities administer mental health screeners within 14 days of intake, provide 24-hour emergency mental health services, and provide DAs the right to request mental health treatment services daily (Braverman & Murray, 2011), but less than half of facilities are compliant with these standards (Braverman & Murray, 2011). As of 2007, only 53 of approximately 3500 juvenile justice facilities were fully accredited with the NCCHC (Gallagher & Dobrin, 2007).…”

“…Given the high frequency of mental disorders among detained adolescents, comordibity of disorders is common. Almost 50% of all DAs meet diagnostic criteria for at least two disorders and 15%-25% of DAs meet criteria for three or more disorders (Abram, Teplin, McClelland, Dulcan, 2003;Braverman & Murray, 2011).…”

“…Specifically, Hussey and colleagues (2008) estimated that the average cost of treating a detained youth with high-quality, evidence-based treatment is approximately $10,274, with treatment services including individual therapy, group counseling, family counseling, case management, in-home visits, and housing (if needed) (Hussey et al, 2008). Given the high costs associated with recidivism (e.g., multiple court appearances, multiple detention/prison stay) that place a large financial burden on the juvenile justice system, researchers have concluded that providing evidence-based services to DAs represents an efficient and cost-effective option for managing DAs (Braverman & Murray, 2011;Hussey et al, 2008). However,…”