THE MENTAL-HEALTH STATUS OF ADOLESCENTS RELEASED FROM CUSTODY - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY

Objective: To describe the prevalence of mental health problems and th e social circumstances of young offenders after their release from cus tody in a juvenile detention centre. Method: The subjects were 37 adol escents from an original sample of 101 adolescents who had been remand ed in a juvenile detention centre in Adelaide, South Australia, The ad olescents were evaluated at the time of their initial detention in cus tody and again 1 year later. Results: The adolescents reported having a large number of social and mental health problems after their releas e from custody, One year after their release, 32% of the adolescents s cored above the recommended 'cut off' score on the Youth Self Report, This represents a rate of disorder three to four times higher than tha t reported by adolescents in the community and is comparable to the ra te reported by adolescents attending mental health clinics. Conclusion s: Adolescents remanded in juvenile detention centres experience conti nuing mental health problems after their release from custody, As well , they experience considerable social dysfunction, There is an urgent need for more active therapeutic follow-up of these young people.