Nearly half of the youths locked up in the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center suffer from mental health problems — far more than the estimated 20 percent with mental disorders in the general youth population — figures released Thursday show.

Researchers and juvenile justice workers have long noted a correlation between mental health issues and delinquency. In Harris County, however, juvenile offenders held in the detention center were not routinely psychologically evaluated until last year.

The the results are perhaps unsurprising to those with experience in the field, it’s important to quantify and verify the extent of the problem so that policy makers can realistically evaluate the amount of resources necessary to address the issue and to assess true cost imposed by failing to address mental health issues before arrive at juvenile detention.

Links:

• Mental Health Association of Greater Houston: Innovative Harris County Initiative ‘Operation Redirect’ Assesses Mental Health Status of Youth in Juvenile Justice System
• Houston Chronicle: Survey of youths in custody finds half have mental health problems