Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Youth in Juvenile Detention

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Abstract
MANY OF our nation's youth are involved in the juvenile justice system. The US Department of Justice estimates that each year there are 2.5 million juvenile arrests.1 Moreover, nearly 1.8 million cases are referred to juvenile courts.2 On an average day in the United States, approximately 109 000 youth younger than 18 years are incarcerated3; nearly 15% of these are youth housed in adult facilities that may lack mental health services for youth.4 African American and Hispanic youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, accounting for more than 60% of young offenders in juvenile justice facilities.5 The number of females in the juvenile justice system is increasing at an even faster rate than the number of males.5