Mental Health Symptoms, Delinquency, and Recidivism among Justice-Involved Minority Youths in Connecticut

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

This research project investigates the overlap of mental health and delinquency among minority youth in Connecticut. Although more than half of minority, detained adolescent’s ages 13-to-17 meet criteria for a mental disorder, few receive mental health treatment during incarceration. Untreated mental health symptoms are among the strongest predictors for engagement in recidivism among adolescents. This study focuses on Black and Hispanic juveniles incarcerated in a detention center or correctional institute for the first-time. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are conducted using the following variables of interest to predict rearrests in a 12-month period: age, race, ethnicity, criminal history, and substance use history. The aim of this study is to identify reported mental health symptoms among justice-involved minority youth and to identify what reported symptoms might be associated with recidivism.

Authors

• Melissa Pierre, University of New Haven

• Danielle Cooper, University of New Haven

• Kendell Coker, University of New Haven