Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: a National Survey

Publisher Marketing: Although youth suicide in the community has been identified as a major public health problem, juvenile suicide in confinement has received scant attention. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded a contract to National Center on Institutions and Alternatives to conduct the first national survey on juvenile suicide in confinement. The primary goal was to determine the extent and distribution of juvenile suicides in confinement (i.e., juvenile detention centers, reception centers, training schools, ranches, camps, and farms). The survey gathered descriptive data on the demographic characteristics of each victim, the characteristics of the incident, and the characteristics of the juvenile facility in which the suicide took place. The study identified 110 juvenile suicides occurring between 1995 and 1999. Data was analyzed on 79 cases. Of these 79 suicides, 41.8 percent occurred in training school/secure facilities, 36.7 percent in detention centers, 15.2 percent in residential treatment centers, and 6.3 percent in reception/diagnostic centers. Almost half (48.1 percent) the suicides occurred in facilities administered by state agencies, 39.2 percent took place in county facilities, and 12.7 percent occurred in private programs. Highlights of the data include: - More than two-thirds (68.4 percent) of victims were Caucasian. - A substantial majority (79.7 percent) of victims were male. - Average (mean) age of victims was 15.7, with more than 70 percent of victims ages 15-17. - A sizable number (38.0 percent) of victims were living with one parent at time of confinement. - More than two-thirds (69.6 percent) of victims were confined for nonviolent offenses. - Approximately two-thirds (67.1 percent) of victims were held on commitment status at time of death, with 32.9 percent on detained status; the vast majority (79.3 percent) of victims held in detention centers were on detained status. - A substantial majority (78.5 percent) of victims had a history of prior offenses; most of these (72.7 percent) were of a nonviolent nature. - With the exception of detention centers, deaths were evenly distributed during a more than 12-month period, with the same number of suicides occurring within the first 3 days of confinement as occurring after more than 10 months of confinement; only 3.8 percent of all suicides occurred within the first 24 hours of confinement. - All detention center suicides occurred within the first 4 months of confinement, with more than 40 percent occurring within the first 72 hours.