Research suggests as many as 70 percent of justice-involved youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavior problems, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. Entering juvenile carceral facilities can exacerbate existing mental health problems. But the juvenile system rarely addresses, or insufficiently addresses, mental health issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem. During the pandemic, many youth detention facilities have significantly reduced their mental health services, which has limited residents’ access to counselors and treatment programs. Some youth experiencing a mental health issue could only speak with mental health professionals through their cell door for a couple minutes per day. And 23-hour periods of isolation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and halted family visitation worsened young people’s mental health.

This pandemic-exacerbated mental health crisis could widen existing racial and ethnic disparities. Because of systemic racism embedded in the criminal legal system’s policies and practices, Black people are overrepresented in the criminal legal system, and Black youth are similarly overrepresented in the juvenile system. In 2020, 41 percent of young people in placement were Black, despite Black youth comprising only 15 percent of all youth in the United States.

To ensure the COVID-19 pandemic does not widen racial and ethnic disparities in mental health among incarcerated youth, and to improve mental health outcomes long after the pandemic, gaining an accurate picture of the problem will be key. Building this evidence base will not happen overnight, so increasing access to equitable mental health services can offer young people much-needed relief in the meantime.

Emphasizing decarceration and providing mental health treatments within communities is one way to reduce the number of youth in facilities–during and after the pandemic. Urban Institute research has demonstrated that when services are provided in their community, youth often have better outcomes and reduced contact with the juvenile system. It can also advance equity and inclusion in the juvenile justice system.

But if young people do become incarcerated, youth facilities, researchers, and policymakers can consider the following evidence-based strategies to improve system-involved youth’s well-being during and beyond the pandemic.

  1. Reimplement family visitation at youth facilities.
  2. Increase the number of available, on-site physicians, counselors, and therapists.
  3. Provide quality mental health services in conjunction with a young person’s sentence to mitigate the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and self-harm.
  4. Ensure mental health services are accessible to all youth to avoid widening disparities.
  5. Improve data collection.
  6. Consider sharing mental health data.

Read the full article about incarcerated youth by Arielle Jackson at Urban Institute.