Association Between Mental Health Treatment and Reoffending Among Justice-Involved Youths

What is it about?

Justice-involved youth often have significant mental health needs, but many do not receive necessary treatment. We examined how mental health treatment affects reoffending among Australian youth in custody and community supervision. Youth released from custody accessed treatment more quickly and at higher rates than those under community supervision. Mental health treatment was associated with reduced reoffending, particularly for males. However, community-supervised youth faced concerning delays in accessing care. These findings highlight a critical need to improve mental health service access and engagement for justice-involved youth, especially those under community supervision.

Featured Image