U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Youth's Needs and Services: Findings From the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement

NCJ Number
227728
Author(s)
Andrea J. Sedlak; Karla S. McPherson
Date Published
April 2010
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from the first Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) on the needs and service experiences of youth in custody.
Abstract
Highlights of the survey include: 1) the majority of youth responding (70 percent) report some type of past traumatic experience which may include physical or sexual abuse; 2) nearly one-third or 30 percent indicate some history of prior abuse; 3) youth offenders in custody use drugs and alcohol at higher rates than the general population; 4) nearly three-fourths or 74 percent of youth in custody have tried alcohol; 5) more than two-thirds or 69 percent of youth offenders in custody have some type of healthcare need; 6) youth in custody have a high nonenrollment rate of 21 percent at the time they enter custody, more than 4 times the rate of peers in the general population; 7) female juvenile offenders are more commonly placed in residential treatment programs; and 8) no differences were found in the percentages of males and females who report receiving counseling in their facilities. The Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) overall results presented illuminate ways that the juvenile justice system could improve programs and living environments for youth in custody. The SYRP provides updated statistics on youth in custody in the juvenile justice system. This report describes key findings from the first SYRP about the needs and service experiences of youth in custody. Figures, notes, and references