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Juveniles in Corrections
Facility Practices and Services
Q: Mental Health: When are youth in residential placement facilities evaluated for mental health needs?
A: Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) of facilities reported evaluating youth for mental health needs within one week of admission in 2020.

Timing of mental health needs evaluation, by facility operation and facility type, 2020

Total
facilities		 Reporting
facilities		 Within
24 hours		 Between 24
hours and
1 week		 More than
1 week		 Other Not
evaluated
Total 1,323 1,205 41% 38% 5% 15% 1%

Facility operation
Public 838 773 41% 38% 3% 18% 1%
  State 317 296 48% 37% 4% 9% 1%
  Local 521 477 36% 38% 2% 23% 2%
Private 485 432 42% 39% 8% 11% 0%

Facility type1
Detention center 599 551 40% 37% 1% 20% 2%
Long-term secure 136 133 47% 39% 8% 5% 0%
Reception/diagnostic center 28 25 52% 32% 8% 8% 0%
Group home 219 190 25% 45% 17% 13% 0%
Residential treatment center 452 428 47% 38% 6% 9% 0%
Ranch/wilderness camp 22 19 63% 26% 5% 5% 0%
Shelter 82 70 16% 37% 4% 41% 1%

Notes: The term ‘youth’ refers to persons under age 21 who were in a facility because they were charged with or adjudicated for an offense.

Counts include evaluations conducted either on or offsite the facility location.

Respondents are allowed to select more than one time period in which they evaluate youth. From these responses, a hierarchy is imposed to reflect the earliest time period that the facility reported. For example, a facility that selected 'within 24 hours' as well as 'between 24 hours and 1 week' will appear as a facility that evaluated 'within 24 hours'.

Percent based on number of reporting facilities.

1 Facility type counts sum to more than the total number of facilities because facilities could select more than one facility type.

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on all stages of the juvenile justice system, including juvenile residential facilities, which may have impacted multiple aspects of the 2020 JRFC data, such as reporting, the number of youth in residential placement, and the services received.

[ CSV file ]

  • Public facilities (41%) and private facilities (42%) were about as likely to evaluate youth for mental health needs within 24 hours of admission in 2020. Among public facilities, state facilities were more likely than local facilities to evaluate youth for mental health needs within 24 hours of a youth's admission.
  • Ranch/wilderness camps (63%) were most likely to report evaluating youth for mental health needs within 24 hours of admission.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08541.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on January 10, 2023.

Data Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Authors' analysis of Juvenile Residential Facility Census 2020 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: OJJDP.

 

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