Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Juvenile detention overused?
UPI story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "On any given day nearly 28,000 children, most under 15 years old, are incarcerated in a secure detention facility in the United States -- a 72-percent increase since 1993 despite two decades of declining juvenile crime rates. There's no argument detention is needed for offenders likely to commit another crime or fail to appear in court if released. Today's violent offenders are not the juvenile delinquents of old. But what should be done with non-violent boys and girls, most not convicted of any crime, who pose minimal danger to themselves or others? ... A study by Northwestern University psychiatry Professor Linda Teplin found more than 60 percent of boys and more than 70 percent of girls in juvenile detention centers had one or more emotional disorders. About 60 percent had behavioral or mental health issues; nearly seven in 10 substance abuse problems."