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ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN A FAMILY COURT

NCJ Number
58927
Journal
Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (1976) Pages: 258-263
Author(s)
H G NURNBERG
Date Published
1976
Length
7 pages
Annotation
FINDINGS OF A 1-YEAR STUDY OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN 304 COURT-INVOLVED ADOLESCENTS REFERRED FOR PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION FROM A NEW YORK FAMILY COURT ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
THE FAMILY COURT DEALS WITH ALL JUVENILE CASES AND IS A COURT OF THE GHETTO POOR. OF THE INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE COURT, 56 PERCENT ARE BLACK, 23 PERCENT HISPANIC, AND 18 PERCENT WHITE. ONLY 21 PERCENT ARE FROM INTACT FAMILIES AND 59 PERCENT ARE ON WELFARE. THESE INDIVIDUALS REPRESENT THE SPECTRUM OF DISTURBED JUVENILE BEHAVIOR, RANGING FROM MINIMALLY ANTISOCIAL TO GROSSLY ANTISOCIAL. ALL REFERRED CASES WERE EVALUATED AS TO MENTAL STATUS, DIAGNOSIS, AND RESPONSE TO PARTICULAR QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE COURT JUDGE. THE DIAGNOSIS HAS TO CONFORM TO AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION'S DIAGNOSTIC STATISTICAL MANUAL II CLASSIFICATIONS; THE EXAMINER WAS A PSYCHIATRIST OR CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A SENIOR PSYCHIATRIST. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY, WHICH SHOW A RELATIVELY LOW PREVALENCE OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE FINDINGS OF OTHER STUDIES OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN COURT SETTINGS. THE PROPOSITION THAT CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS ARE A PRODUCT OF OR CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, PARTICULARLY PSYCHOSIS, IS NOT SUPPORTED. A RELATIVELY CONSTANT DEGREE OF SCHIZOPHRENIA MAY SIMPLY BE ENDEMIC IN ALL POPULATIONS AND IS NOT AN INDICATION OF A RELATIONSHIP TO CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. SCREENING BY TRAINED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE AT THE PRECOURT INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION PHASES. STATISTICAL DATA, A GRAPH, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LWM)

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