Boesky, Lisa (2002) Juvenile Offenders With Mental Health Disorders: Who are they and what do we do with them? Maryland: American Correctional Association. Available at: http://www.drlisab.com/index.php?id=23

• Youth in the juvenile justice system suffer from mood disorders at twice the rate of those in the general population.

• Youth in the juvenile justice system suffer from substance abuse/dependence at 10 to 20 times the rate of those in the general population.

Coalition for Juvenile Justice (2000), 2000 Annual Report- Handle with Care: Serving the Mental Health Needs of Young Offenders. Available at: http://www.juvjustice.org/resources/fs002.html. Accessed June 16, 2003

• Between 50-75% of incarcerated youth have diagnosable mental health problems

• Youth suicides in juvenile detention and correctional facilities are more than four times greater than youth suicides in the general public.

• Female juvenile offenders have as many as twice as many symptoms of Anxiety Disorder as their male counterparts.

NCJJ Mission statement page (2003), National Center for Juvenile Justice Web site. Available at: http://ncjj.servehttp.com/NCJJWebsite/whatsnew/whatsnew.htm.
Accessed June 16, 2003

• Rates of mental illness among young people in the juvenile justice system are at least twice as high as those in the general population.

• The prevalence rate of less serious mental disorders in delinquent populations is as high as 80%.

• 92% of girls in the juvenile justice system report experiencing emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse at some point in their lives.

• In 1998, juvenile courts disposed 53% more violent sex offenses cases and 26% more forcible rape cases than in 1989.

Novins DK, Duclos CW, Martin C, Jewett CS, Manson SM (1999). Utilization of alcohol, drug, and mental health treatment services among American Indian adolescent detainees. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 38:1102-1108.

• Only about a third of justice system youth with mental disorders have received prior treatment in the community.

Gould MS, Greenberg T, Velting DM, Shaffer D (2003). Youth suicide risk and preventive interventions: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 42: 386-405.

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10-19 year olds in the U.S.

• More than 90% of youth who commit suicide have at least one major psychiatric disorder.

• A third of all male youth who commit suicide have had Conduct Disorder.

• Having a substance use disorder and access to firearms substantially increases suicide risk.

Snyder, Howard N., and Sickmund, Melissa. (1999). Juvenile offenders and victims: 1999 national report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

• More than half of high school seniors have used an illicit drug at least once- more have used alcohol.

• Juvenile courts handled 1.8 million delinquency cases in 1996.