NCJ Number
220328
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 34 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2007 Pages: 1362-1376
Date Published
October 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Using data from the Juvenile Residential Facility Census and the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, this study shows the underlying differences in the calculations of suicide rates in juvenile facilities.
Abstract
Of the studies examined, some reported a suicide rate in juvenile institutions that was lower or equal to that of the general population (Flaherty, 1980; Snyder, 2005); and others showed an alarmingly high rate for suicides in juvenile facilities (Gallagher and Dobrin, 2006a; and Memory, 1989). The debate on the reliability of these calculations centers on the length of stay in occupied beds and whether to standardize the risk-exposure period so that the numerator and denominator of suicide rates reflect equivalent periods of time and whether comparisons may be made between populations with fewer than 365 days of risk exposure with those having 365 days of risk exposure. Using an occupied-beds rate or the comparable total patient-day rate to provide yearly risks is preferable to an admissions-based rate. It standardizes for length of stay. The most difficult challenge for the beds-based/total patient-day calculations is making clear what units are involved in the rate comparisons. This article presents a fully disclosed prototype for presenting suicide rate calculations. It provides everything necessary for the consumers of such studies to make informed choices about what information is most relevant for their purposes. 7 tables and 36 references