Mental Health Interventions in Juvenile Detention Institutions: A Systematic Review of What Works

Background: Incarcerated adolescents within the juvenile justice system are more likely to be diagnosed with poor mental health compared with their non-incarcerated peers. Conducting clinical trials on mental health interventions among an incarcerated adolescent population is challenging due to the nature of detention facilities. Objectives: This systematic review examines available literature on Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) done to assess mental health interventions among incarcerated adolescents globally and to determine the type of intervention that would best work in this setting. In this study, a systematic review was conducted to search, identify, and recommend effective interventions best suited to preserve and improve the mental wellbeing of incarcerated adolescents within the detention institution setting. Method: The search was performed in Medline via Ovid, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to retrieve related publications released between 1970 and March 2021. The principal inclusion criteria were RCT articles issued in English that reported any mental health interventions performed in juvenile detention centers involving delinquent adolescents aged 10 to 19 years old. Results: The search discovered 10 related articles that fulfilled the required inclusion criteria. In total, there were seven different types of mental health interventions used in all the studies. The three major themes identified among the selected studies are the interventions for coping strategies, risky behavior, and attention disorder among incarcerated adolescents. The efficacy of the interventions was dependent on the level of intelligence, duration of incarceration, risk of treatment diffusion, and depression symptoms among incarcerated adolescents. Conclusions: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention that is simple, brief, unique, and targets depressive symptoms, has the potential to be most efficacious in improving mental health among incarcerated adolescents.

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among Incarcerated Adolescents: Prevalence, Personality, and Psychiatric Comorbidity

Introduction: Incarcerated adolescents represent a risk group for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), but research on this population has been limited and no studies have been conducted in Russia. To address this deficit, this study examined NSSI and the factors associated with it among youth in a juvenile correctional facility in Russia.Methods: NSSI and psychopathology were assessed using a psychiatric interview and self-report questionnaire in 368 incarcerated male adolescents aged 14–19 years (mean age 16.4 years, S.D. 0.9) from Northern Russia.Results: 18.2% (N = 67) of the study participants had a history of NSSI and also had higher rates of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, community violence exposure and scored higher on most of the Youth Self-Report problem scales. In addition, 31.3% of the NSSI group reported previous suicidal ideation and had thought about a specific suicide method compared to 12.0% in the No-NSSI group. Adolescents with NSSI also differed significantly from the No-NSSI group on self-directedness (lower) and self-transcendence (higher) personality traits.Conclusion: NSSI is common in incarcerated adolescents in Russia and is associated with extensive psychiatric comorbidity, suicidal ideation and specific personality traits.

Students With Learning Disabilities in the Brazilian Juvenile Justice System

This article describes the Brazilian juvenile justice system and the educational rights of incarcerated adolescents with learning disabilities, to discuss how and why they are “invisible” and deprived of adequate treatment for their specific needs. The main reasons reside (a) in the complex national legal structure of the juvenile justice system; (b) in the lack of specific legislation concerning the rights of students with learning disabilities in general and of incarcerated adolescents in particular, both groups not eligible for special education services; and (c) the general difficulty to diagnose learning disabilities, especially in correctional facilities. Paradoxically, despite the complexity of the juvenile justice system legal organization, nationally, there is no specific law on education for incarcerated adolescents; moreover, the lack of data collection on the prevalence of learning disabilities does not allow the federated states to create suitable laws and programs.

Interaction between incarcerated adolescents and their grandparents in the processes of living and ageing

Objective: To describe the interactions between incarcerated adolescents and their grandparents during the processes of living and ageing. Method: An exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study was carried out, based on a semi-structured interview with 11 adolescents aged from 17 to 20 incarcerated in a youth detention center in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The discourse of the adolescents was analyzed based on content themes. Results: Categories that were both intertwined and complete among themselves were constructed: a) grandparents as affective support for incarcerated adolescents and b) relationships of reciprocity and healthy coexistence between the adolescents and their grandparents. Conclusion: The results showed that despite relational conflicts, the participants perceived the role of their grandparents in their lives as beneficial, as they offer a familial reference space, providing shelter and affection against the anxieties of the adolescents and those related to their families. This form of coexistence was a potential part of the development of young people in conflict with the law, and a favorable environment of mutual exchanges and learning, and as figures continuing the transgenerational family culture. Family separation was mentioned as a recurring and underreported process in the lives of adolescents and their grandparents.