The disastrous health profile of young offenders

Young people serving time in youth detention or serving community-based orders have extremely high rates of substance dependence, poor mental health and engage in risky sexual behaviour, a new study has found. Researchers from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the University of Melbourne ed over 500 young people in custody or serving community based orders in Victoria between 2002 and 2003. The survey asked participants about their educational and vocational experiences, violence and sexual assault, offence history, family history of mental illness and imprisonment and their substance use and own mental health. Researchers found that 34% of young people serving community based orders and 66% in youth detention were dependent on alcohol, cannabis, heroin, amphetamines or sedatives - the most common being cannabis. Those serving time in youth detention were significantly more likely to have ever injected a drug (48% compared with 13%). Rates of hazardous alcohol use were also high in both groups: 73% for young people serving community based orders and 82% for those in custody. The researchers found that depression was common in both groups and many reported engaging in self-harm.