NCJ Number
142536
Journal
American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 149 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 768-772
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study tests whether or not black children and adolescents are underrepresented in New York State's mental health facilities and overrepresented in juvenile correctional facilities when ethnic distribution in the general population is controlled.
Abstract
Data were collected on ethnicity, age, and sex of all white, black, and Hispanic 10- to 18-year-olds admitted in a 1-year period to facilities of the Office of Mental Health and facilities of the correctional system. These data were converted into rates per 100,000 population by using U.S. census data for the State. Admission rates per 100,000 population for ethnicity, age, sex, and source of referral were then compared in the two types of facilities. The study found no meaningful differences in population-corrected admission rates among black, white, and Hispanic children and adolescents in the State mental health system. In contrast, there was a vast preponderance of black children and adolescents admitted to the State juvenile correctional system. The two systems have different points of entry; 100 percent of the juvenile justice admissions versus 17 percent of the mental health admissions were referred by the courts. Thus, analysis of demographic variables failed to support an allegation of racial bias in admission to the child and adolescent public mental health system in New York State. 1 figure and 22 references