Incarcerating juveniles in adult prisons as a factor in depression.

BACKGROUND: While existing research has shown higher prevalence of depression among incarcerated youths compared with non-incarcerated youths, none has studied incarceration as a cause of depression. AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study suggests that incarceration, in particular placement of youths in adult incarceration, is a factor in developing depression. METHOD: A records based comparison of depression among youths in different types of incarceration with non-incarcerated youths, controlling for other predictors of depression, namely offence type, family poverty, parents' history of incarceration and demographic profile. RESULTS: Youths in adult placements were significantly more likely to be depressed than youths in juvenile placements and community-based youths. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that there are mental health implications against incarcerating youths in adult prisons, a concern that current juvenile justice might not have considered adequately.

The impact of sexual abuse in the lives of young women involved or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system.

Girls in the juvenile justice system have high rates of past sexual abuse. To better understand the relationship between sexual abuse and justice system involvement, we analyzed survey interviews with 169 young women involved or at risk of involvement with juvenile justice, comparing girls who experienced sexual abuse with those who did not. Girls experiencing sexual abuse had more negative mental health, school, substance use, risky sexual behavior, and delinquency outcomes. These findings highlight a need for interventions to assist girls who have experienced abuse and efforts to prevent abuse and improve child welfare and social service systems.