Mental health problems and service use among female juvenile offenders: Their relationship to criminal history

Objective: To describe (1) the level of mental health problems and lifetime use of specialty mental health services and special education programs amo ng incarcerated female juvenile offenders and (2) how these indices relate to their criminal history. Method: Between 1997 and 1998, fifty-four female youths incarcerated in California were interviewed on-site using standardi zed self-report measures of depression and anxiety symptoms and substance u se problems. Results: Eighty percent of the youths had symptoms of an emoti onal disorder or substance use problem, and almost two thirds (63%) had a h istory of recidivism. Of those with emotional symptoms or a substance use p roblem, 51% had used specialty mental health services and 58% had been in a special education program during their lifetime. In addition, among recidi vistic youths, 82% had a history of a substance use problem and 47% had use d specialty mental health services during their lifetime. Conclusions: A su bstantial proportion of female juvenile offenders merit a mental health eva luation. Interventions for these high-risk youths should include an assessm ent for substance use disorders because of the association of recidivism an d substance use problems in this population.