Are We Meeting Their Needs? Well-child, Dental, and Mental Health Care for Youth in Juvenile Correctional Facilities in Minnesota

Compared with the general population, justice-involved youth have substantially higher rates of several health conditions. Less is known about their use of health services to address these conditions. Using data from a statewide survey of 217 youth in juvenile correctional facilities and 164,832 youth in public schools, we examined selfreported health (health overall, weight status, disability, asthma, allergy, mental health) and receipt of care. Justice-involved youth reported a high number of physical health concerns; however, physical health conditions were not related to receipt of care. Youth who reported experiencing depressive symptoms with or without suicidal ideation, and those who had attempted suicide, were more likely than their peers without these mental health issues to have received mental health treatment in the past year. However, many youth with serious mental health concerns had not received treatment. Results from this study demonstrate unmet health care needs among a sample of youth in juvenile correctional facilities.