NCJ Number
85483
Date Published
Unknown
Length
246 pages
Annotation
A survey of North Carolina's correctional and human service agencies revealed that children with serious behavioral problems were typically white, male, and appoximately 15 years old. They had difficulty in school as well as family problems, and over half were not receiving appropriate services.
Abstract
Data from correctional facilities, mental health hospitals, wilderness camps, and group homes indicated that the State had at least 577 children between 10 and 17 who would be labeled as having high behavioral problems and another 1,059 as having medium behavioral problems. Approximately two-thirds of the high behavioral problem children were male and white, and over half did unsatisfactory work in school. The records of three-quarters indicated they were overly aggressive in school. Many came from families that had been on some form of public assistance and whose primary wage earner had less than a high school education. Common problems were child abuse and neglect, violence directed at another family member, and totally disintegrated families. Children identified by local providers as not appropriately served were those who needed the most help. Information about where the children had lived or received services showed that children labeled as high behavioral problems tended to be placed in more restrictive settings, lived at more places, and had been treated by more providers than those with low or medium problems. This lack of coordination was further supported by absence of interaction between training schools and mental hospitals. Males were overrepresented in training schools and underrepresented in mental hospitals. More youths in training schools and mental hospitals were from small counties than large ones, suggesting the lack of alternatives in small locales. The report discusses these findings in detail and recommends measures to improve services. Study data and the survey questionnaire are included. (Author summary modified)