Psychiatric Disorders in Youth in Juvenile Detention

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Abstract
A GREAT PROPORTION of this country's young people are now involved in the juvenile justice system. In 1999, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that there were 2.5 million arrests of juveniles.1 In1997, juvenile courts handled almost 1 800 000 delinquency cases.2 On an average day, more than 106 000 youth are in custody in juvenile facilities.3 Almost60% of detained youth are African American or Hispanic.3 Moreover, recent changes in the laws, such as mandatory penalties for drug crimes and lowering the age that juveniles can be tried as adults, have resulted in more juveniles serving time than ever before. There are currently 163 200 cases per year of juveniles convicted and serving sentences.2 Many are incarcerated in adult prisons, which do not have psychiatric services designed for juveniles. The number of females in the juvenile justice system is increasing at an even faster rate than the number of males3 and is at an all time high.2