The health of a group of young Australians in a New South Wales juvenile justice detention centre: A pilot study

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Abstract
Objective: To consider the health profile of a sample of young, largely male Australians as assessed on their admission to a New South Wales Juvenile Justice Detention Centre. Method: A retrospective analysis of primary care nurse health records for 100 sequential admissions. Results: Of the 97 males and three females (mean age = 15.9 years), 30 were Aboriginal and 39 did not live with either parent at the time of admission. Respiratory illness, such as bronchitis and asthma were common. These diagnoses were overshadowed by histories of significant physical injury. The sample was at high risk of sexually transmitted disease. Forty‐six per cent had prior contact with a mental health professional, 26% reported they had thought of suicide and 9% reported having attempted suicide. There was a high prevalence of substance abuse. Conclusion: The health of these young Australians is at risk from every perspective. Improving the quality of their health assessments is an important issue for the clinicians who attend them as individuals and for policy makers who aim to reduce the considerable social and economic cost of juvenile crime. The discussion of these results from one centre has revealed opportunities to make such improvements. There is a need for a gathering of expertise to address the issue, preferably on a national basis.

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