• Skip Navigation
• Home
• Family Support Services Program
  • Home Based Family Centered Therapy Services
  • Random Drug Testing
  • State Approved Contracts
  • Substance Abuse Assessment, Treatment, and Monitoring
  • Transition from Restrictive Placements
• AIM - Aftercare for Indiana through Mentoring
• Host Homes of Indiana
• Indiana Juvenile Justice Task Force Staff
• IJJTF Board of Directors
• National Runaway Switchboard
• 40 Hour Detention Care Worker Training Manual
• How to Print the Detention Careworker Curriculum
• Mental Health Assessment Report
• Available Positions
• IJJTF Blog
• Contact Us

Mental Health Assessment Report

 Please Note that the following research was publicly funded.  Anyone is free to use this information, but we do ask that you notify us of how you have used this information.  Thank you.

Indiana Juvenile Justice Task Force, Inc.

Maryland, 19% of incarcerated youth reported suicidal ideations; in Virginia, 13% of securely detained youth were on suicide watch.

***An Abt Associates study conducted nationwide in 1994 found that 74% of youth in 95 public and private juvenile facilities reported mental health problems during screening.

***This same study found that 57% of the youth reported previous treatment for mental health problems.

***Studies have previously been conducted in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina.  The methodologies vary, but the findings were similar: between 56% and 77% of the youth met the criteria for at least one mental health or substance abuse disorder.

***In all studies, rates of mental health/substance abuse disorder far exceeded those in the general population, i.e., under 25%.  In some studies, the rates even exceeded those found in youth in community mental health treatment settings.  In South Carolina, 60% of youth in the community mental health system met the criteria for a mental disorder, while 72% of the youth in Department of Juvenile Justice facilities met the criteria for at least one mental disorder.

The Indiana Juvenile Detention Mental health and Substance use Assessment Use Project was designed to produce an assessment package that could be readily implemented and analyzed so as to determine the status and treatment needs of youth in detention throughout the state.  The Project utilized the Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY; with permission of the Western Psychological Services), an adaptation of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and a proprietary demographic survey.  All respondents remained anonymous to the investigators to help ensure confidentiality and validity.

Statistical Breakdown to Key Elements of the Assessment Process

 Total number of respondents: 359; 264 or 74% Males; 95 or 26% Females 

Age Range:  From 8 to 19 years old; 52% of all participants were either 16 or 17

No Answer:                  1

8 years old:                   1

10 years old:                 1

11 years old:                 4

12 years old:                 11

13 years old:                 23

14 years old:                 47

15 years old:                 66

16 years old:                 93

17 years old:                 95

18 years old:                 14

19 years old:                 3

Breakdown by grade in school:  45% of all participants were in Grades 9 or 10

No Answer:                  22

Grade 5:                       2

Grade 6:                       11

Grade 7:                       36

Grade 8:                       45

Grade 9:                       80

Grade 10:                     81

Grade 11:                     50

Grade 12:                     31

Above 12:                    1

Breakdown by Ethnicity

White:                          223 or 62%

Black:                           88 or 25%

Hispanic:                      17 or 5%

Native American           4 or 1%

Asian:                           1 or 1%

Other:                           26 or 7%

Breakdown by County (based on location of Center, not geographic home of resident) 

Key Findings Regarding Alcohol and Drug Use

Survey adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Question 3: Have you ever used alcohol or other illegal drugs?

Answers: 295, or 82%, answered Yes.

Conclusion: Use of alcohol or other illegal drugs is widespread among detention center residents.

Question 6: In the 30 days before you came into the detention center, about how many days did you drink alcohol?

Answers: 173, or 48%, denied drinking alcohol; 113, or 31%, drank 1-5 days;

55, or 15%, drank 6 or more days; 17, or 5%, reported drinking daily.

Conclusion: 20% of detention center residents in the sample meet commonly accepted criteria for alcohol abuse, dependence, or addiction.

Question 7: In the 30 days before you came into the detention center, how many days did you use illegal or illicit drugs?

Answers: 150, or 42%, denied any drug use; 80, or 22%, used drugs 1-5 days; 38, or 11%, used drugs 6 or more days; 90, or 25%, reported daily drug use.

Conclusion: 36% of detention center residents in the sample meet commonly accepted criteria for drug abuse, dependence, or addiction.

Question 8: Have you ever been drunk or under the influence of drugs while committing a crime?

Answers: 171, or 48%, answered Yes.

Conclusion: Nearly half of detention center residents in the sample committed crimes while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Question 9: Have you ever been drunk or under the influence of drugs while at school?

Answers: 203, or 57%, answered Yes.

Conclusion: A majority of detention center residents in the sample have compromised their ability to function in an educational setting due to being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Question 11: Have you ever carried a gun while you were drunk or under the influence of drugs?

Answers: 97, or 27%, answered Yes.

Conclusion: More than a quarter of detention center residents in the sample have carried a lethal weapon while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Question 20: If you used alcohol or drugs regularly, how much money did you spend every week on alcohol or drugs?

Answers: 95, or 26%, stated that they never spent money, but got drugs from friends; 88, or 25%, spent up to $20 per week; 44, or 12%, spent between $20-$50 per week; 59, or 16%, spent $50 or more per week.

Conclusion: More than a quarter of the detention center residents in the sample spent over $20 per week on drugs.

Answers: 58, or 16%, denied ever using marijuana; 84, or 23%, reported using marijuana up to 20 times; 22, or 6%, reported using marijuana from 20 up to 50 times; 84, or 23%, reported using marijuana more than 50 times; 107, or 30%, reported daily use of marijuana for any three month period before coming into detention.

Conclusion: Almost one-quarter of the detention center residents in the sample meet commonly accepted criteria for cannabis abuse, while 30% meet commonly accepted criteria for cannabis dependence.

Question 33: What was your age of first use of marijuana?

Answers: 26, or 7%, reported first use of marijuana by 8 years of age; 51, or 14%, reported first use by age 9 or 10; 78, or 21%, reported first use by age 11 or 12; 109, or 30%, reported first use by age 13 or 14; 37, or 10%, reported first use at age 15 or 16; while only one youth reported first use of marijuana at age 17 or older.

Conclusion: In this sample of detention center residents, first use of marijuana occurred at an early age, with 155 of 309 youth, or 50%, reporting first use in childhood; all residents but one had their first experience with marijuana by age 16.  

Question 36: What is your lifetime experience with cocaine (inc. powder, crack, or freebase)?

Answers: 238, or 66%, denied ever using cocaine; 34, or 9% reported using 1-2 times; 34, or 9%, reported using 3-10 times; 19, or 5%, reported using 10-20 times; 12, or 3%, reported using 21-50 times; 17, or 5%, reported using more than 50 times.

Conclusion: Two-thirds of the sample denied ever having used cocaine; of those who had ever used, 15% had used cocaine more than 50 times. It can be surmised that the frequent cocaine users might meet the commonly accepted criteria for cocaine abuse or dependence.

Question 44: What is your lifetime experience with amphetamines or methamphetamines (inc. speed, crystal, crystal meth, crank, or ice)?

Answers: 251, or 70%, denied ever using amphetamines or methamphetamines;

34, or 9%, reported using 1-2 times; 25, or 7%, reported using 3-10 times; 19, or 5%, reported using 10-20 times; 10, or 3%, reported using 21-50 times; 14, or 4%, reported using more than 50 times.

Conclusion: More than two-thirds of the sample denied ever using amphetamines or methamphetamines; of those who had ever used, 14% had used these drugs more than 50 times. It can be surmised that the frequent users might meet the commonly accepted criteria for amphetamine abuse or dependence.

Question 45: What was your age of first use of amphetamines or methamphetamines?

Answers: Of those who reported use, 1 reported first use at less than 8 years of age; 4 reported first use at age 9 or 10; 7 reported first use at age 11 or 12; 35 reported first use at age 13 or 14; 49 reported first use at age 15 or 16; 4 reported first use at age 17 or older.

Conclusion: In this sample of detention center residents who reported use of amphetamines, 84 out of a hundred, or 84% were introduced to the drug between ages 13 and 16.

Question 48: What is your lifetime experience with “Ecstasy?” (inc. Rohypnol, RHP, or other “date rape” drugs)

Answers: 278, or 77%, denied ever using “Ecstasy” or similar drugs.

Conclusion: 81, or 23% of this sample, reported use of “Ecstasy.” This is compared to an earlier pilot study in Indianadetention centers which nearly resulted in the decision to delete this question due to no positive responses. Within four years, the percent of positive responses rose from none to almost one-quarter of the sample.