NCJ Number
132781
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1991) Pages: 465-480
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Youth who violate the law are dealt with in the institutions related to mental health, child welfare, and alcohol and drug abuse treatment in addition to the juvenile justice system. Understanding these institutionalization trends requires information from four Federal agencies that provide data about the use of residential facilities by youth in trouble.
Abstract
The Children in Custody series, published by the U.S. Children's Bureau, provides biennial resident and admission counts, demographic characteristics, and average length of stay by facility type. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Inventory of Mental Health Organizations surveys traditional hospital inpatient facilities, non-hospital type residential organizations, and specialty mental health organizations. Child welfare statistics are processed and analyzed through three groups: the American Public Welfare Association; the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services; and Maximum, Inc. Finally, the National Drug and Alcoholism Treatment Unit Surveys report on the age of persons receiving residential and nonresidential treatment services. Unfortunately, these systems for counting youth are 3 to 5 years behind usage and yield insufficient data. An investment of political leadership and fiscal resources would result in more timely reporting, fuller coverage of facilities, and improved demographic data. 32 references (Author abstract modified)