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Detention

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Law and Criminology	42%
Medical Sciences	27%
Humanities and Social Sciences	19%
Psychology	8%

Terms modified by Detention

detention centre

detention facility

Selected Abstracts

Detention of the mentally ill in Europe , a review

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2002
Martin Zinkler
Objective:,The frequency of compulsory admission varies widely across Europe. Although there has been some research on a nation-wide level, no work has been done to compare mental health legislation in different countries in relation to detention rates and to patients' perception of hospital detention. Method:,Databases and government statistics were searched for regional, national and European data. Legal frameworks were compared and reviewed in relation to patients' and professionals' views. Results:,Nearly 20-fold variations in detention rates were found in different parts of Europe. Criteria for detention of the mentally ill are broadly similar when it comes to patients at risk to themselves or others. However different rules apply for involuntary treatment in the interest of the patient's health. Conclusion:,Variations in detention rates across Europe appear to be influenced by professionals' ethics and attitudes, sociodemographic variables, the public's preoccupation about risk arising from mental illness and the respective legal framework. [source]

The Irregular Migrant as Homo Sacer: Migration and Detention in Australia, Malaysia, and Thailand

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 1 2004
Prem Kumar Rajaram
The principle intention of the paper is to study detention of irregular migrants as a means of understanding politics and how notions of political participation and of sovereignty are affected by the detention of certain sorts of individual. What does the identification of certain "forms of life" to be detained say about the political norms of different societies? The conduit for this examination will be the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben's concept of homo sacer. Homo sacer is a term Agamben extrapolates from "ancient Roman law". It denotes a naked or bare life that is depoliticized. Homo sacer is the excess of processes of political constitution that create a governable form of life. Homo sacer is thus exempt or excluded from the normal limits of the state. At the same time, however, homo sacer is not simply cast out but is held in particular relation to the norm: it is through the exclusion of the depoliticized form of life that the politicized norm exists. This essay seeks to contextualize aspects of Agamben's argument by looking at detention as a form of exclusion in three different contexts. [source]

Low-Risk Youths Referred to Pima County Juvenile Court Center Detention Intake: Needs, Detention, and Recidivism

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009
Margaret Frola
ABSTRACT Delinquent youths who were low risk to re-offend were the subject of this study. It was hypothesized that these youths would have high levels of need (e.g., mental illness) and that detention would lead to increased recidivism. Demographic and social factors, delinquency history, and recidivism data were analyzed, producing four major findings: low-risk youths have high needs, low-risk youths recidivate at high rates, unaddressed needs increase the likelihood of detention and recidivism, and behavioral health needs were among the strongest predictors of recidivism. The factors that lead to recidivism are discussed, and suggestions for improving outcomes are also presented. [source]

The (Mis)Uses of Detention and the Impact of Bed Space in One Jurisdiction

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002
LISA J. BOND-MAUPIN PH.D
ABSTRACT Analysis of booking data prior to and following the opening of a new facility doubling available bed space reveals that 53.0% of detentions end prior to or at a detention hearing, charges for 48.8% of bookings are for technical violations of probation or status offenses only, and that 62.5% of bookings are for a combination of the prior two offense and other minor offenses. These trends as well as the actual number of youths detained increased with the move into a new facility with twice the bed space. The data suggest that detention is frequently used as shelter and/or punishment even though a juvenile does not technically represent a threat to self, community, or of absconding. [source]

Screening the Mental Health Needs of Youths in Juvenile Detention

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002
PHILIP D. NORDNESS
ABSTRACT There is an increasing number of juveniles coming into the justice system with a variety of mental health and substance abuse concerns. While the actual number of youths with mental health disorders in the juvenile justice system has been difficult to determine, it is estimated to be substantially higher than it is for youths in the general population. In addition, researchers have estimated that a high number of these juveniles experience co-morbid mental health disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the number of youths who present symptoms of a mental health disorder at intake into a juvenile detention center in the Midwest. Two hundred-four youths were assessed with the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2; Grisso & Barnum, 2000), a mental health screening instrument. At least 68% of the youths identified symptoms of a mental health disorder at intake. Given the significant number of youths who identified symptoms of a mental health disorder at intake into detention, the need to provide mental health services for juvenile detainees should not be ignored. [source]

Ten Ways to Reduce Detention Population

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2001
JUDGE LINDSAY G. ARTHUR
ABSTRACT "Juvenile detention is regularly overlooked, maligned, and misunderstood. Its embattled condition is best described as severely abused and neglected. It is underfunded, understaffed, crowded and largely ignored."1 "Detention caseloads increased 38 percent between 1987 and 1996. The increase in the number of delinquency cases handled by the courts has driven the growth in the number of juveniles in the detention system. In 1987, 1.2 million delinquency cases were disposed of in juvenile courts. By 1996, this number had risen 49 percent, to almost 1.8 million. This increase in the volume of juveniles in the justice system resulted in a 38 percent increase in the number of delinquency cases that involved the use of detention. The number of juvenile delinquency cases detained in 1996 was 89,000 more than in 1987. This has resulted in increased demand for juvenile detention bed space across the country."2 "Changes in statutes allowing more detainable offenses have significantly increased the number of youths admitted to regional detention centers."3 "Although minority youth constituted about 32 percent of the youth population in the country in 1995, they represented 68 percent of the juvenile population in secure detention,4 [source]

Human Rights Guarantees, Constitutional Law, and The Military Commissions Act of 2006

PEACE & CHANGE, Issue 1 2008
Leonard Cutler
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. government in conjunction with NATO allies conducted a military campaign in Afghanistan that deposed the Taliban, destroyed Al-Qaida camps, and took 700 suspected terrorists into custody for internment and trial by military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Six years later about 355 detainees remained in Guantanamo amid reports of persecution, ill treatment, mental and physical health breaches, rape, and torture. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility, as have many foreign governments and prominent current and former U.S. officials. For its part, the Bush administration has denied committing any acts of torture against the detainees and has insisted that its approach to the trial and punishment of the alleged terrorists is legal and consistent with the principles of international humanitarian laws. This article focuses on the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the extent to which the President, Congress, and the United States Supreme Court have addressed human rights guarantees consistent with the rule of law and principles of justice. [source]

Asylum,Seekers and National Histories of Detention

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY, Issue 4 2002
Alison Bashford
The Australian system of mandatory detention of asylum,seekers has become increasingly controversial. Insofar as commentary on detention has been framed historically, critics have pointed to Australia's race,based exclusionary laws and policies over the twentieth century. In this article, we suggest that exclusion and detention are not equivalent practices, even if they are often related. Here we present an alternative genealogy of mandatory detention and protests against it. Quarantine,detention and the internment of "enemy aliens" in wartime are historic precedents for the current detention of asylum,seekers. Importantly, in both carceral practices, non,criminal and often non,citizen populations were held in custody en masse and without trial. Quarantine, internment and incarceration of asylum,seekers are substantively connected over the twentieth century, as questions of territory, security and citizenship have been played out in Australia's histories of detention. [source]

Children, admitted to high security (special) hospital

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2003
Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry, Claire Dimond Consultant in Child
Introduction The Special Hospitals in England provide psychiatric treatment in high security. The aim of this study was to examine the demographics and background characteristics of children admitted to high security hospitals in England, using the special hospital case register. Method Forty-six children (the subject group) were admitted to a high security hospital under the MHA (1983) classification of disorder of mental illness and/or psychopathic disorder between 1983 and 1999, 33 (72%) of whom were male. A comparison group of adults was matched on sex, legal classification of detention and MHA 1983 classification of disorder. Results The children were admitted for a similar range of offences to those of the comparison group. However, the children had received convictions for criminal damage and violence at a significantly earlier age, they were more likely to have experienced a change in carer during their childhood, been placed in a children's home and were less likely to be living with a family member on their 16th birthday. Children admitted to special hospital experience a lot of disruption in their childhood and are extremely high users of multi-agency services as they grow up. Discussion Issues are raised regarding how to provide a developmentally sensitive service for children who require high security care. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]

INVESTIGATING RACIAL PROFILING BY THE MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT: A MULTIMETHOD APPROACH

CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2007
GEOFFREY P. ALPERT
Research Summary The perception and existence of biased policing or racial profiling is one of the most difficult issues facing contemporary American society. Citizens from minority communities have focused their concerns on the improper use of race by law enforcement officers. The current research uses a complex methodological approach to investigate claims that the Miami-Dade, Florida Police Department uses race improperly for the purposes of making traffic stops and conducting post-stop activities. The results are mixed in that the officer's aggregate actions do not show a pattern of discriminatory actions toward minority citizens when making a traffic stop, but results of post-stop activities do show some disparate treatment of minorities. Policy Implications Five specific policy recommendations are made to reduce the perception or reality of racial profiling by the police. First, police departments must have clear policies and directives explaining the proper use of race in decision making. Second, officers must be trained and educated in the overall impact of using race as a factor in deciding how to respond to a citizen. Third, the department must maintain a data-collection and analytic system to monitor the activities of their officers as it pertains to the race of the citizen. The fourth police recommendation involves the use of record checks in the field that can set in motion a process that results in the detention and arrest of citizens. Fifth, the completion of a record of interrogation for later intelligence has implications for the citizen. The use of this intelligence tool must depend on suspicion rather than on the race of the citizen. [source]

Do we agree about when patients are psychotic?

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2008
J. Nielsen
Objective:, To investigate into the use of the term ,psychotic' as defined by ICD-10 or by the concept of impaired reality testing, among psychiatric staff members. Method:, Questionnaire investigation using 11 short case vignettes. Results:, Responses were received from 266 psychiatric staff members: psychiatrists, nursing staff and psychologists. When using ICD-10, patients were identified as psychotic with a sensitivity ranging from 90% to 55%. Specificity ranged from 60% to 75%. According to the concept of impaired reality testing, all three groups showed a sensitivity of about 60%, whereas specificity ranged from 65% to 50%. The combined use of the terms correlated significantly with responses regarding indication for legal detention for psychiatrists and nursing staff. Conclusion:, In identifying a patient as ,psychotic' a broad concept of impaired reality testing was widely used particularly in cases with legal issues. Psychotic symptoms, however, were identified with high sensitivity and specificity. [source]

Detention of the mentally ill in Europe , a review

Patterns and correlates of substance use amongst juvenile detainees in New South Wales 1989,99

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2003
JAN COPELAND
Abstract In the decade 1989,99 there have been significant changes in the patterns of substance use in the Australian community. Juvenile offenders have been a sentinel population of these emerging trends. The social and personal costs associated with adolescent substance use, especially where it leads to increased criminal offending requires urgent attention. This study was a replication of the 1989 and 1994 surveys of young people in detention in New South Wales, Australia. The 300 voluntary participants from nine detention centres had a similar demographic profile to participants of the previous surveys. They were predominantly male (90%) with a mean age of 16.5 years and an over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples. The patterns of lifetime alcohol and tobacco use were stable over the decade, with particular increases in amphetamine, opioid and cocaine use since 1994. The more concerning pattern of at least weekly substance use revealed significant increases in cannabis, opioid and cocaine use since 1994, but a significant decrease in the frequent use of alcohol. This study also reports on high levels of negative health and psychosocial consequences of substance use, including overdose, among this group. High levels of self-reported depression and suicidal behaviours, family and gender issues are also discussed. Encouragingly, there was a relatively high level of self-recognized treatment need for substance use and mental health problems among the sample. This highlights further the growing need for the development and dissemination of novel interventions that harness this willingness and actively engage, motivate and maintain these young people in accessible, appropriate and effective interventions. [source]

Drug injecting and syringe use in the HIV risk environment of Russian penitentiary institutions: qualitative study

ADDICTION, Issue 12 2006
Anya Sarang
ABSTRACT Background Evidence highlights the prison as a high risk environment in relation to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmsission associated with injecting drug use. Methods We undertook qualitative studies among 209 injecting drug users (IDUs) in three Russian cities: Moscow (n = 56), Volgograd (n = 83) and Barnaul in western Siberia (n = 70). Results Over three-quarters (77%) reported experience of police arrest related to their drug use, and 35% (55% of men) a history of imprisonment or detention. Findings emphasize the critical role that penitentiary institutions may play as a structural factor in the diffusion of HIV associated with drug injection in the Russian Federation. While drugs were perceived to be generally available in penitentiary institutions, sterile injection equipment was scarce and as a consequence routinely shared, including within large groups. Attempts to clean borrowed needles or syringes were inadequate, and risk reduction was severely constrained by a combination of lack of injecting equipment availability and punishment for its possession. Perceptions of relative safety were also found to be associated with assumptions of HIV negativity, resulting from a perception that all prisoners are HIV tested upon entry with those found HIV positive segregated. Conclusion This study shows an urgent need for HIV prevention interventions in the Russian penitentiary system. [source]

The black flag: Guantánamo Bay and the space of exception

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2006
Derek Gregory
Abstract The American prison camp at Guantánamo Bay has often been described as a lawless space, and many commentators have drawn on the writings of Giorgio Agamben to formalize this description as a ,space of exception'. Agamben's account of the relations between sovereign power, law and violence has much to offer, but it fails to recognize the continued salience of the colonial architectures of power that have been invested in Guantánamo Bay, is insufficiently attentive to the spatialities of international (rather than national) law, and is unduly pessimistic about the politics of resistance. Guantánamo Bay depends on the mobilization of two contradictory legal geographies, one that places the prison outside the United States ito allow the indefinite detention of its captives, and another that places the prison within the United States in order to permit their ,coercive interrogation'. A detailed analysis of these interlocking spatialities , as both legal texts and political practices , is crucial for any crique of the global war prison. The relations between law and violence are more complex and contorted than most accounts allow, and sites like Guantánamo Bay need to be seen not as paradigmatic spaces of political modernity (as Agamben argues) but rather as potential spaces whose realization is an occasion for political struggle not pessimism. [source]

Hydrologic prediction for urban watersheds with the Distributed Hydrology,Soil,Vegetation Model

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 21 2008
Lan Cuo
Abstract Some relatively straightforward modifications to the Distributed Hydrology,Soil,Vegetation Model (DHSVM) are described that allow it to represent urban hydrological processes. In the modified model, precipitation that falls on impervious surfaces becomes surface runoff, and a spatially varying (depending on land cover) fraction of surface runoff is connected directly to the stream channel, with the remainder stored and slowly released to represent the effects of stormwater detention. The model was evaluated through application to Springbrook Creek watershed in a partially urbanized area of King County, Washington. With calibration, the modified DHSVM simulates hourly streamflow from these urbanized catchments quite well. It is also shown how the revised model can be used to study the effects of continuing urbanization in the much larger Puget Sound basin. Model simulations confirm many previous studies in showing that urbanization increases peak flows and their frequency, and decreases peak flow lag times. The results show that the urbanization parameterizations for DHSVM facilitate use of the model for prediction and/or reconstruction of a range of historic and future changes in land cover that will accompany urbanization as well as other forms of vegetation change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Appeals by the elderly against compulsory detention under the Mental Health Act 1983

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 12 2006
Amar Shah
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Risk assessment and management: A community forensic mental health practice model

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2002
Teresa Kelly
ABSTRACT: In Victoria, the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act (1997) reformed legal practice in relation to the detention, management and release of persons found by a court to be not guilty on the grounds of insanity or unfit to be tried. This Act provides a legal structure for such ,forensic patients' to move from secure inpatient facilities into the community. This new legislative landscape has generated challenges for all stakeholders and has provided the impetus for the development of a risk assessment and management model. The key components of the model are the risk profile, assessment and management plan. The discussion comprises theory, legislation, practice implications and limitations of the model. Practice implications concern the provision of objective tools, which identify risk and document strategic interventions to support clinical management. Some of the practice limitations include the model's applicability to risk assessment and management and its dependence on a mercurial multi-service interface in after-hours crisis situations. In addition to this, the paper articulates human limitations implicit in the therapeutic relationship that necessarily underpins the model. The paper concludes with an exploration of the importance of evaluative processes as well as the need for formal support and education for clinicians. [source]

The Irregular Migrant as Homo Sacer: Migration and Detention in Australia, Malaysia, and Thailand

Darfurian Livelihoods and Libya: Trade, Migration, and Remittance Flows in Times of Conflict and Crisis1

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2007
Helen Young
Labor migration and commerce between Sudan and Libya have long been features of livelihoods in Darfur. This paper describes the importance of historical trade and migration links between Darfur and Libya, and provides a background to the political and economic situation in Libya which has influenced opportunities for Sudanese migrant workers. A case study of the situation of the Darfurian migrants in Kufra (an oasis and transnational trade hub in southern Libya) illustrates how the recent Darfur conflict has affected migration patterns from Darfur and remittance flows in the opposite direction. Official estimates of Darfurian migrant workers in Libya were unavailable but were estimated to be between 150,000 and 250,000. The closure of the national border between Sudan and Libya in May 2003, largely a result of insecurity in Darfur, stopped the traffic of migrant workers between northern Darfur and southern Libya (which prevented the onward travel to Sudan of several thousand migrants in Kufra), and curtailed the well-established trade routes, communications, and remittance flows. The current limited economic prospects for migrant workers in Libya, combined with the threat of detention, difficulties of return to Sudan, and loss of contact with and uncertainty about the fate of their families in Darfur, have created a sense of despair among many Darfurians. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations to improve the conditions of the Darfurian migrants in Libya, including an amnesty for illegal migrants, and also to ease the travel of migrants, promote communications between Libya and Darfur, and support the flow of remittances. [source]

The demography of nurses and patients on acute psychiatric wards in England

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2009
Len Bowers
Aims and objectives., To describe the ethnic and demographic composition of staff and patients on acute psychiatric wards in England. Background., A significant proportion of the UK population (7·6%) belong to an ethnic minority and there are concerns that ethnic minority patients are not well served by psychiatry, in particular that they are subject to excessive force and coercion. Design., Survey of a random sample of psychiatric wards in three regions. Methods., A survey was conducted of staff (n = 1536) and patients (n = 11 128) on 136 acute admission psychiatric wards. Results., Ethnic minority patients were more likely to be admitted with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, younger, more likely to be admitted for a risk of harm to others and more likely to be legally detained. The association between ethnic minority status and detention remains, even when risk, age, gender and diagnosis are taken into account. Ethnic minority patients come from areas of greater social deprivation and fragmentation. Ethnic concordance between staff and patients varies, but the greatest difference is found in London where the proportion of minority staff is greater than the proportion of minority patients. Conclusions., There continues to be evidence that ethnic minority patients are subject to an excessive amount of legal coercion in English mental health services. However, the proportion of staff belonging to an ethnic minority is greater than the proportion of patients. Relevance to clinical practice., Solutions to the problem of excessive use of legal coercion with ethnic minority patients need to be found. Changes of recruitment strategies are required if concordance is to be achieved. [source]

,Condemn a Little More, Understand a Little Less': The Political Context and Rights' Implications of the Domestic and European Rulings in the Venables-Thompson Case

JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2000
Deena Haydon
In 1993 Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger. Aged ten at the time of the offence, the children were tried in an adult court before a judge and jury amidst a blaze of publicity. They were named by the trial judge and sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's Pleasure [HMp]. The Home Secretary set a minimum tariff of fifteen years imprisonment. In December 1999 the European Court of Human Rights held that, in the conduct of the trial and the fixing of the tariff, the United Kingdom government was responsible for violating the European Convention on Human Rights. This article maps how the case became a watershed in youth justice procedure and practice influencing Labour's proposals for reform and the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. Examining the progression of appeals through the domestic and European courts, it explores the dichotomous philosophies separating the United Kingdom and European approaches to the age of criminal responsibility, the prosecution and punishment of children, and the influence of political policy on judicial decisions. Finally, the ,backlash' against ,threatening children', the affirmation of adult power and knowledge, and the implications of the European judgments in the context of a rights-based agenda are analysed. [source]

Low-Risk Youths Referred to Pima County Juvenile Court Center Detention Intake: Needs, Detention, and Recidivism

Public Safety Outcomes of Virginia's Detention Assessment Instrument

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007
SCOTT REINER
ABSTRACT The placement of juveniles in secure detention has been the subject of considerable attention recently. For the past several years, Virginia has been engaged in efforts to improve detention practices at both the state and local levels. One important policy and practice change is the implementation of a standardized, structured decision-making instrument to guide detention decisions by intake officers of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). This report will present a brief background on the Detention Assessment Instrument (DAI); an analysis of the performance of the DAI on key public safety outcomes; and an overview of Virginia's participation in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). [source]

Health Status of Incarcerated Adolescents: Implications for Juvenile Justice Decision Making

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2004
ROBERT E. MORRIS
ABSTRACT Adolescents arriving in detention often bring with them significant medical, dental, and psychological problems. These issues have important implications for courts that must decide the best disposition for offending youths. Appropriate treatment benefits the individual by enhancing his/her well-being and improving his/her chances of successful rehabilitation. Society also benefits by avoiding the higher cost of caring for neglected conditions later in life. A comprehensive health care program for detention facilities involves establishing standardized procedures that address both common adolescent problems plus those more peculiar to detainees. Health care professionals working in a correctional setting have unique duties such as clearing youths for boot camp, monitoring injuries, dealing with resistant patients, monitoring for safe activities, and planning aftercare for youths who may face impediments to accessing care such as poor motivation and poverty. Research concerning issues specific to the needs of incarcerated youths remains infrequent and should be undertaken by health care providers. This article provides an overview of medical issues confronting juvenile offenders that should be considered when a juvenile becomes involved in the juvenile justice system. [source]

Gender and the Likelihood of Being Securely Detained for Contempt

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2003
M. DYAN MCGUIRE PH.D. J.D.
ABSTRACT Several theorists have hypothesized that juvenile court judges are circumventing the proscription contained in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act ("JJDPA"), which prohibits the secure confinement of status offenders by securely detaining status offenders for contempt. It has also been suggested that girls may be especially likely to be securely detained as a result of violating a valid court order. This study uses descriptive and multivariate techniques to examine the demographic, legal, and jurisdictional variables associated with receiving secure detention for violating a valid court order and to evaluate the degree to which the spirit, if not the letter, of the JJDPA's core requirement of deinstitutionalizing status offenders is being violated because of the exemption permitting juvenile court judges to securely detain children found in contempt. The findings from this study indicate that being female does not contribute to detention for contempt but being accused of a status offense does. Implications of these findings are discussed. [source]

The (Mis)Uses of Detention and the Impact of Bed Space in One Jurisdiction

Screening the Mental Health Needs of Youths in Juvenile Detention

Influences on Detention Decisions in the Juvenile Justice System

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002
BRIAN F. O'NEILL MSW, PH.D.
ABSTRACT This paper examines the pretrial detention of juveniles in County X located in a northeastern state. The sample (N=642) included Black, White, and Hispanic males and females adjudicated delinquent in the summer of 2000. The following independent variables were analyzed with respect to the dependent variable of pretrial detention: age, sex, address, race, current offense (misdemeanors, violent misdemeanors, felonies, violent felonies, and probation violations), prior offense (misdemeanors, violent misdemeanors, felonies, and violent felonies), and previous dispositions (community or placement). Several variables were found to be significant in increasing the odds of pretrial detention: probation violations, prior misdemeanors, prior residential placements, prior community interventions, age, sex, urban address, felonies, prior violent misdemeanors, and prior violent felonies. It was expected that minority youths would be more likely to be detained, but race was only significant in the absence of the variable of address. Urban youths were more likely to be detained resulting in an over-representation of minorities in detention, since most of the minority population resides in the urban area. Also included is supplemental material based on interviews with defense lawyers, judges, masters, and juvenile probation officers. [source]