Open AccessEffects of Out‐of‐Home Mental Health Treatment on Probability of Criminal Charge During the Transition to Adulthood
Author(s) -
Pullmann Michael D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
american journal of orthopsychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.959
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1939-0025
pISSN - 0002-9432
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01109.x
Subject(s) - mental health , criminal justice , psychiatry , suicide prevention , medicine , young adult , psychology , injury prevention , poison control , gerontology , medical emergency , criminology
Criminal justice–related outcomes for youth who have been served in out‐of‐home mental health settings such as residential treatment and inpatient hospitalization are unclear. This study longitudinally modeled the changing probability of being charged with a crime from age 16 to 25, including being served in out‐of‐home treatment and aging into adulthood, while controlling for person‐level covariates such as gender, race, past criminal charges, and mental health diagnoses. Results indicated that out‐of‐home treatment was related to a decreased probability of being charged with a crime during treatment. However, the preventive effect was small; estimates indicated only one criminal charge avoided for every 4 years of out‐of‐home treatment. Out‐of‐home treatment had no relationship to posttreatment probability of charge. Other significant contributors to being charged included gender, a substance use diagnosis, and an offense record prior to age 16. Evidence indicated that out‐of‐home treatment was used as an alternative to detention and incarceration for both juveniles and adults.