Thousands of Children with Mental Illness Warehoused in Juvenile Detention Centers Awaiting Mental Health Services

WASHINGTON (July 7, 2004)—Thousands of children with mental illnesses await needed community mental health services in juvenile detention centers across the country, according to a new report released at a hearing in the U.S. Senate’s Governmental Affairs Committee this morning.

“Children who need a safety net instead wind up waiting in juvenile detention,” said Tammy Seltzer, senior staff attorney at the Washington-based Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. “Thousands of children are locked up because the system isn’t offering them the help that they need when they need it.”

“ Juvenile detention centers are designed to care for children who have been charged with crimes and those who are awaiting court hearings or placement,” said Charles J. Kehoe, president of the American Correctional Association (ACA). “Juvenile detention facilities lack the resources and staff to confront this problem; yet, corrections is being forced to shoulder the burden of the nation’s failure to properly diagnose and care for children with mental or emotional disorders.”

The survey—commissioned by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and conducted by the Special Investigations Division of the minority staff of the Government Reform Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives—is the first Congressional investigation to look specifically at children with mental health needs unnecessarily incarcerated in juvenile detention centers because they are awaiting services in the community. Key findings in the report include:

Thousands of children are incarcerated in juvenile detention centers awaiting mental health services in the community. Over a six-month period, nearly 15,000 incarcerated youth waited for community mental health services. Each night, nearly 2,000 youth wait in detention for community mental health services, representing 7% of all youth held in juvenile detention. Yet a quarter of the facilities surveyed reported that they provide no or poor mental health services.
Children are at increased risk of self-harm and violence. Youth waiting in detention for community mental health services attempted suicide in over 160 facilities. According to previously released research, the rate of suicide among juveniles while incarcerated is four times that of youth overall. Children with mental disorders may also be at particular risk of victimization by others due to their illness.
Detention centers are overwhelmed. A Pennsylvania administrator interviewed for the report noted that “mentally ill youth placed in juvenile detention facilities stress our centers more than any other problem.”
Warehousing children awaiting mental health services is expensive. The report estimates that juvenile detention facilities spend an estimated $100 million each year to house youth who are waiting for mental health services.

“Major improvements in community mental health services are urgently needed to prevent the unnecessary and inappropriate incarceration of thousands more children and youth in the United States,” says the report.

About 5-9% of children ages 9 to 17 are affected by a serious emotional disturbance (SED), according to the Surgeon General. Yet nearly four in five children who could benefit from mental health services do not receive them.

Today, the Bazelon Center, ACA and more than 130 other organizations representing children and families, correctional officers and others called on Congress to address gaps in services for children with mental disorders. In a letter to Members of Congress, the groups urged lawmakers to adopt specific legislation to reduce the number of children with mental or emotional disorders inappropriately warehoused in juvenile detention centers.

Among the proposals was a bill introduced by Senator Collins last fall—the Keeping Families Together Act (S. 1704, H.R. 3243). The legislation would support states’ efforts to develop coordinated systems of care and improve access to community-based services for children with mental disorders.

“Today’s hearing underscores the critical need to do something concrete to address the crisis in children’s mental health,” said Seltzer. “Senator Collins’ bill is an essential step toward creating a children’s mental health system where kids get services, not jail time, when they need help.”

“Warehousing children in juvenile detention centers when they should be getting mental health treatment is a no-win situation,” said Kehoe. “We’ve got to get kids the help they need, so we can keep them out of jail.”

The survey will be available online at: http://www.house.gov/reform/min/

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The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a national legal advocate for children and adults with mental disabilities. For more information, see http://www.bazelon.org.

The American Correctional Association is an association representing 18,000 corrections professionals. For more information, see http://www.aca.org/.

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The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a national legal advocate for the civil rights and human dignity of people with mental disabilities.

Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 1212
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202-467-5730
Fax: 202-223-0409
Email: webmaster@bazelon.org