RESUMEN
As of 2018, more than 37,000 American youth were residing in juvenile detention or residential placement facilities.1 Prevalence studies have demonstrated high rates of psychiatric illness in this population, with estimates ranging from 50% to 75%.2,3 Comorbidity is common: Abram et al. found that 75% of juvenile detainees meeting criteria for one disorder met criteria for two or more disorders.4 Compared to psychiatric morbidity in justice-involved youth, there is a paucity of data describing mental health services within juvenile justice settings, treatments delivered by these services, or outcomes following treatment. We performed a retrospective study to compare diagnoses and medications prescribed to youth in the community prior to detention with those received after evaluation by the facility-based juvenile justice mental health service (JJMHS) staffing secure detention facilities in New York, NY.