The first comprehensive, long-term study of the mental health needs of youth entering detention is now being conducted in Chicago. Nonetheless, we do have information that raises serious concerns. While the overall body of research on this population is inadequate, some studies have found that the rates of serious mental disorders among youth involved with the juvenile justice system are much higher than among the general population of youth in the community. It is conservatively estimated that one out of every five youth in the juvenile justice system is experiencing a serious mental disorder, with a much higher percentage displaying some level of mental health problems. Although there were substantial variations in studies, a 1992 analysis of existing studies on the prevalence of mental disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system concluded that one percent to six percent have psychotic disorders.
Significant numbers have attention-deficit and affective disorders.
Substance abuse problems compound the situation for many youth with mental disorders. That represents 11,000 youth committing 17,000 suicidal acts each year in these facilities. We know from twenty years experience at the Youth Law Center and from many anecdotal accounts that conditions in juvenile facilities can and do create and exacerbate mental health problems for youth. Overcrowding, for example, affects every aspect of institutional life from increased pressure on staff and confined juveniles to reduced availability of education, recreation and treatment programs. More than half of the youth incarcerated in this country are in overcrowded facilities.