INTERVENTION WITH JUVENILE DELINQUENTS (FROM ECOLOGIC-BIOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO TREATMENT OF DELINQUENTS AND CRIMINALS, 1978, BY LEONARD J HIPPCHEN SEE NCJ-50444)

• NCJ Number: 50458
• Author(s): G H BACHARA; W R LAMB
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 19 pages
• Corporate Author: Van Nostrand Reinhold
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL-PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION PROGRAM DEVELOPED IN COOPERATION WITH A VIRGINIA JUVENILE COURT IS DESCRIBED. RESULTS FROM FOLLOWUP OF 112 JUVENILES IN THIS PROGRAM ARE PRESENTED.

Abstract

TRADITIONALLY, JUVENILE COURTS HAVE HAD NEITHER THE TIME NOR THE MONEY TO DO THOROUGH MEDICAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING. INTAKE REPORTS CONCENTRATE ON HOME AND FAMILY SITUATIONS AND PREVIOUS CRIMINAL HISTORIES. YET MANY STUDIES HAVE FOUND STRONG RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND LEARNING DISABILITIES, HYPOGLYCEMIA, AND CHEMICAL IMBALANCES IN THE BODY. A FEW OF THESE STUDIES ARE BRIEFLY REVIEWED. A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION AND TESTING PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY A VIRGINIA JUVENILE COURT WAS INITIATED FOR A 2-YEAR PERIOD. SIXTY-NINE MALE AND 43 FEMALE OFFENDERS RANGING IN AGE FROM 9 TO 17 YEARS WERE REFERRED TO THIS PROGRAM. THEY SPENT AN AVERAGE OF 22 DAYS (FROM 16 TO 47 DAYS) IN A HOSPITAL SETTING RECEIVING A FULL RANGE OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS. MOST OF THE JUVENILES HAD VISUAL PROBLEMS; 70 HAD UNCORRECTED VISUAL PERCEPTION PROBLEMS, AND AN ADDITIONAL 7 WERE CROSS-EYED OR HAD OTHER SEVERE EYE PROBLEMS. TWENTY-EIGHT JUVENILES SUFFERED FROM HYPOGLYCEMIA OR HYPERGLYCEMIA, 15 DISPLAYED ABNORMAL EEG'S, 17 SUFFERED FROM VITAMIN AND MINERAL DEFICIENCIES, 9 FROM ALLERGIES, 4 FROM PSORIASIS, AND 46 FROM MISCELLANEOUS OTHER PHYSICAL PROBLEMS. TWO CASE HISTORIES SHOW THE BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE PHYSICAL PROBLEMS WERE CORRECTED. THOROUGH PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL FOR APPROPRIATE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (GLR)