Following release, each youth receives four mailings a year designed to foster their continuing participation in the program. Caretakers of youth under 18 years of age are also being interviewed. Researchers have obtained court orders allowing access to all records and continue to collect data from official records and other sources on ADM service use, ADM service availability, criminal behavior, and mortality. Longitudinal data on juvenile detainees will help enhance understanding of ongoing ADM service needs, pathways into treatment, patterns of ADM service use, and barriers to treatment. Preliminary Results Preliminary data from the baseline study of juvenile detainees show that two-thirds of the youth have one or more ADM disorders.
Females have far greater mental health needs and greater risk factors than males.
Implications for the Juvenile Justice System Studies of youth in the general population demonstrate significant levels of unmet need for ADM services. For example, Costello et al. The lack of effective treatments for youth in the community increases the burden on juvenile justice facilities. The Northwestern Juvenile Project is the first large-scale longitudinal study of ADM disorders, service needs, and service use among juvenile detainees. American Psychiatric Association.