NCJ Number
243805
Date Published
2011
Length
88 pages
Annotation
This study intends to inform public policy development by analyzing the costs and contexts for incarcerating youth with mental illness and co-occurring mental illness/substance use disorders in California detention facilities.
Abstract
The study concludes that the need for mental health services to youth in California's detention facilities has been steadily increasing. The additional costs for housing these youth stems from their need for specialized mental health services. The provision of appropriate ongoing mental health services in detention facilities has the potential to improve the emotional and social functioning of these youth, but this increases the cost of short-term care. Placement delays are most affected by the lack of a continuum of care in prevention, outpatient, community-based, and residential settings. In addition to improving services in facilities, improving those provided in the community and re-establishing a residential continuum of care would reduce the inappropriate detention of youth who can be better served elsewhere. Recommendations are under the categories of services provided in detention facilities, services provided in the community, efforts to improve coordination among agencies, an adequate residential continuum of care to provide appropriate placement alternatives, and policy issues. Eighteen county probation departments were surveyed in 2007 regarding the contexts and associated costs of services for detained youth with mental disorders. Researchers also conducted site visits with probation and other agency staff in a subsample of 14 counties. The survey solicited information on basic facility costs, characteristics of detained youth, services and costs for mental health treatment, substance abuse services and costs, services and costs of general health care, costs of educational services, legal and court-related expenses, and other costs. 1 table and 7 references