Mental Health Referrals Reduce Recidivism in First-Time Juvenile Offenders, But How Do We Determine Who is Referred?

While psychiatric disorders are common among juvenile delinquents, many mental health problems go undetected, increasing the likelihood for persistent difficulties. This is the first known study to examine mental health referral rates and recidivism in the juvenile justice system. In addition to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatric quarterly 2017-03, Vol.88 (1), p.167-183
Main Authors: Zeola, Michael P., Guina, Jeffrey, Nahhas, Ramzi W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
African Americans
Antisocial personality disorder
Anxiety
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Child
Crime - prevention & control
Criminal records
Criminals - psychology
Delinquents
Detection
European Continental Ancestry Group
Female
First time
Health behavior
Health care expenditures
Health problems
Humans
Juvenile Delinquency - psychology
Juvenile justice
Juvenile justice system
Juvenile offenders
Legal system
Male
Medical screening
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental Disorders - therapy
Mental Health Services
Offenders
Offense
Original Paper
Patient Selection
Psychiatry
Psychological assessment
Psychosocial factors
Public Health
Recidivism
Referral and Consultation
Referrals
Reliance
Retrospective Studies
Self report
Severity
Sociology
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Summary:While psychiatric disorders are common among juvenile delinquents, many mental health problems go undetected, increasing the likelihood for persistent difficulties. This is the first known study to examine mental health referral rates and recidivism in the juvenile justice system. In addition to the study, we review juvenile justice mental health screening to improve detection and treatment. Juvenile criminal records in conjunction with behavioral health screenings were analyzed to determine differences in referrals and recidivism among first time offenders. Recidivism rates were significantly lower (p = 0.04) and time to recidivism was significantly longer (p = 0.03) for those referred specifically for mental health services than for those without any referrals, even after adjusting for offense severity. While black youths had a significantly higher recidivism rate (p = 0.02) and a shorter time to recidivism (p = 0.009) than white youths, there was no significant difference between races when referred specifically for mental health services. Among the groups studied, black youths had the most profound positive effect from mental health referrals (p 
ISSN:0033-2720
1573-6709
DOI:10.1007/s11126-016-9445-z