Young Offenders in Custody: An International Comparison of Mental Health Services

Abstract

Over the last decade interest in the mental health of young offenders has soared. Given evidence that rates of mental disorders are remarkably high in adolescent offenders, countries have initiated efforts to improve the identification and treatment of mental illness in detained youth. Research examining current mental health screening, assessment, and treatment services has focused largely on American sites; however, there is much to be gained from an international perspective. This article discusses international findings regarding the prevalence of mental illness in detained youth, examines the extent to which countries protect incarcerated youths’ right to treatment, and compares countries’ provision of screening, assessment, and treatment services to youth in custody and the community. Considerable variability is found to exist across countries and despite some advances in practice—particularly in the area of mental health screening—significant gaps remain between best and actual practices. To ensure that young offenders with mental illness receive adequate treatment, local, in-depth reviews of the mental health services provided to young offenders must be conducted across countries. Additionally, policies and procedures for providing services to young offenders with mental illness must be improved, particularly in the areas of custodial and community mental health treatment.

Keywords:

• incarcerated youth
• mental health services
• international comparison
• youth justice

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We thankfully acknowledge several anonymous reviewers for their comments on a previous draft of this manuscript.