NCJ Number
111558
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1988) Pages: 135-144
Date Published
1988
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Records of the first 2,539 individuals charged under the Young Offenders Act in Alberta were matched with records of the Provincial community mental health service and the Provincial Child Welfare system in order to determine the extent of caseload overlap.
Abstract
Selected file data were also retrieved in order to provide a descriptive profile of the sample. Forty-seven percent of Young Offenders had been previously assigned Child Welfare status, while 18 percent had been on the caseload of Alberta Mental Health Services. Although the overlap is significant, important differences were found that need to be considered in service planning. That is (1) individuals who had also been on the Mental Health and/or Child Welfare caseloads were more likely to have been involved in crimes against persons, (2) although Natives were significantly overrepresented in the Young Offender sample (in comparison to the general population), the proportion was about one-half of that found in the general Child Welfare caseload, and (3) not surprisingly, Young Offenders were more likely to have received a diagnosis of 'conduct disorder' than those on the general Mental Health Services caseload. (Author abstract)