Northwestern Juvenile Project: Overview. Working for Youth Justice and Safety Juvenile Justice Bulletin.

摘要

The Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP) studies a randomly selected sample of 1,829 youth who were arrested and detained in Cook County, IL, between 1995 and 1998. This bulletin provides an overview of NJP and presents the following information about the project: NJP is a longitudinal study that investigates the mental health needs and long-term outcomes of youth detained in the juvenile justice system. This study addresses a key omission in the delinquency literature. Many studies examine the connection between risk factors and the onset of delinquency. Far fewer investigations follow youth after they are arrested and detained. The mental health needs of youth detained in the juvenile justice system are far greater than those in the general population. The mental health needs of youth in detention are largely untreated. Among detainees with major psychiatric disorders and functional impairment, only 15 percent had been treated in the detention center before release.