Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T18:11:44.714Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

12 - Medical issues regarding incarcerated adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2009

By
Robert E. Morris
Edited by
Carol L. Kessler  and
Louis James Kraus
Robert E. Morris
Affiliation:
1192 Rancheros Place Pasadena, CA 91103-2753 USA
Carol L. Kessler
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York
Louis James Kraus
Affiliation:
Rush University, Chicago
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is commonly viewed as a healthy time of life with little need for medical care. Although there is some truth to this belief, individual adolescents may suffer from a wide variety of illnesses and injuries (Council on Scientific Affairs, 1990; Feinstein et al., 1998), which can have immediate and, in many cases, lifetime effects. Many teenagers coming to detention also have deferred medical needs because of barriers to access (Council on Scientific Affairs, 1990), including absent or limited insurance, lack of parental involvement (Hein et al., 1980), chaotic lives and limited understanding of medical care requirements. Incarceration provides the best chance to meet the medical and dental needs of this particularly vulnerable group (Hein et al., 1980; American Academy of Pediatrics, 1989; Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2000). In addition, the act of detaining citizens removes their ability to seek care voluntarily thus placing a legal and moral imperative on the detaining authority to provide care that meets community standards (Costello & Jameson, 1987). Resources expended on youth provide a cost-effective intervention because this prevents more serious sequellae requiring greater expenditures in the future. Lastly, rehabilitation of delinquent youth proceeds most smoothly when the youth is free of disease, pain, and disability.

This review is divided into four sections: medical problems that may predispose to delinquent behavior; medical illness and injury likely to result from delinquent behavior; health concerns for all adolescents; and health maintenance issues.

Keywords

delinquent behaviorhealth maintenance issuesincarcerated adolescentsjuvenile delinquentsmedical illness
Type
Chapter
Information
The Mental Health Needs of Young Offenders
Forging Paths toward Reintegration and Rehabilitation
 , pp. 255 - 269
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander-Rodriguez, T. & Vermund, S. H. (1987). Gonorrhea and syphilis in incarcerated urban adolescents: prevalence and physical signs. Pediatrics, 80(4), 561–564.Google Scholar
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Adolescence (1989). Health care for children and adolescents in detention centers, jails, lock-ups, and other court-sponsored residential facilities. Pediatrics, 84(6), 1118–1120.
American Academy of Pediatrics (2006). In Pickening, L. K., Baker, C. J., Long, S. S. and McMillan, J. A., eds., Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 27th edn. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, p. 683, Table 3.70.
Anderson, B. & Farrow, J. A. (1998). Incarcerated adolescents in Washington state. Journal of Adolescent Health, 22, 363–367.Google Scholar
Baghurst, P. A., McMichael, A. J., Wigg, N. R.et al. (1992). Environmental exposure to lead and children's intelligence at the age of seven years. New England Journal of Medicine, 327(18), 1279–1284.Google Scholar
Bell, T. A., Farrow, J. A., Stamm, W. E.et al. (1985). Sexually transmitted diseases in females in a juvenile detention center. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 12(3), 140–144.Google Scholar
Black, M., Mitchell, J. R. & Zimmerman, H. J. (1975). Isoniazid associated with hepatitis in 114 patients. Gastroenterology, 69, 289–302.Google Scholar
Blecker, U., Lanciers, S. & Vandenplas, Y. (1994). Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in Belgium. International Pediatrics, 9(4), 230–233.Google Scholar
Breuner, C. C. & Farrow, J. A. (1995). Pregnant teens in prison: prevalence, management, and consequences. Western Journal of Medicine, 162, 328–330.Google Scholar
Brunner, H. G., Nelen, M., Breakefield, X. O., Ropers, H. H. & vanOost, B. A. (1993). Abnormal behavior associated with a point mutation in the structural gene for monoamine oxidase A. Science, 262, 578–580.Google Scholar
Cases, O., Seif, I., Grimsby, J.et al. (1995). Aggressive behavior and altered amounts of brain serotonin and norepinephrine in mice lacking MAOA. Science, 268, 1763–1766.Google Scholar
Cates, W. Jr., Wasserheit, J. N. & Marchbanks, P. A. (1994). Pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal infertility: the preventable conditions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 709, 179–195.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1999). High prevalence of chlamydial and gonococcal infection in women entering jails and juvenile detention centers: Chicago, Birmingham, and San Francisco, 1998. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 48, 793–796.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2003). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in correctional facilities – Georgia, California, and Texas, 2001–2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 52(41), 992–996.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2005, Vol.17, Atlanta, US: Department of Health and Human Services, p. 18. (www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports)
Chen, C., Rainnie, D. G., Greene, R. W. & Tonegawa, S. (1994). Abnormal fear response and aggressive behavior in mutant mice deficient for α – calcium-calmodulin kinase II. Science, 266, 291–300.Google Scholar
Chow, J. M., Yonekura, M. L., Richwald, G. A.et al. (1900). The association between Chlamydia tracomatis and ectopic pregnancy. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263(23), 3164–3167.Google Scholar
Costello, J. C. & Jameson, E. J. (1987). Legal and ethical duties of health care professionals to incarcerated children. Journal of Legal Medicine, 8, 191–263.Google Scholar
Council on Scientific Affairs (1990). Health status of detained and incarcerated youths. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263(7), 987–991.
Crowe, A. H. (1998). Drug Identification and Testing in the Juvenile Justice System. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Davidson, R. J., Putnam, K. M. & Larson, C. L. (2000). Dysfunction in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation – a possible prelude to violence. Science, 289, 591–594.Google Scholar
Waal, F. B. M. (2000). Primates – a natural heritage of conflict resolution. Science, 289, 586–590.Google Scholar
Drumm, B., Perez-Perez, G. I., Blaser, M. J. & Sherman, P. M. (1990). Intrafamilial clustering of Helicobaster pylori infection. New England Journal of Medicine, 322(6), 359–363.Google Scholar
Ellis, (1874). A case of probable lead poisoning resulting fatally, from a bullet lodged in the knee-joint twelve years previously. Boston Medical & Surgical Journal, 91, 472–473.Google Scholar
Fast, D. K., Conry, J. & Loock, C. A. (1999). Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29(5), 370–372.Google Scholar
Feinstein, R. A., Lampkin, A., Lorish, C. D.et al. (1998). Medical status of adolescents at time of admission to a juvenile detention center. Journal of Adolescent Health, 22, 190–196.Google Scholar
Feletti, V. J. (2004). The Origins of Addiction: Evidence from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. San Diego, CA: Department of Preventive Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.
Gedye, A. (1989). Extreme self-injury attributed to frontal lobe seizures. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 94, 20–26.Google Scholar
Goodin, D. S., Aminoff, M. J. & Laxer, K. D. (1990). Detection of epileptiform activity by different noninvasive EEG methods in complex partial seizures. Annals of Neurology, 27, 330–334.Google Scholar
Graham, D. Y. & Qureshi, W. A. (2001). Markers of infection. In Mobley, H. L. T., Mendz, G. L. and Hazell, S. L., eds., Helicobacter pylori; Physiology and Genetics. Washington, DC: ASM Press, pp. 499–510.
Harrison, L. H., Dwyer, D. M., Maples, C. T. & Billmann, L.(1999). Risk of meningococcal infection in college students. Journal of the American Medical Association, 281(20), 1906–1910.Google Scholar
Hein, K., Cohen, M. I., Litt, I. F.et al. (1980). Juvenile detention: another boundary issue for physicians. Pediatrics, 66(2), 239–245.Google Scholar
Holmes, G. L. & Mikati, M. (1991). Temporal lobe epilepsy in children. International Pediatrics, 6(2), 201–213.Google Scholar
Hsu, L. K. G., Wisner, K., Richey, E. T. & Goldstein, C. (1985). Is juvenile delinquency related to an abnormal EEG? A study of EEG abnormalities in juvenile delinquents and adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychology, 24(3), 310–315.Google Scholar
Huscroft, S. (1994). Lead poisoning from retained bullets: health threat to inmates?Correctional Health Care and Management, February 1994, 27–31.Google Scholar
Huscroft, S., Morris, R. E., Baker, C. J. & Evans, C. A. (1994). Retained bullets: A cause of lead poisoning in teenagers. Presented at the 122nd annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, October 30–November 3, 1994. Abstract.
Hux, K., Bond, V., Skinner, S., Belau, D. & Sanger, D. (1998). Parental report of occurrences and consequences of traumatic brain injury among delinquent and non-delinquent youth. Brain Injury, 12(8), 667–681.Google Scholar
Jones, K. L. (1983a). Fetal alcohol syndrome. In Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation, 5th edn. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company, pp. 555–558.
Jones, K. L. (1983b). XXY Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome. In Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation, 5th edn. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company, pp. 72–75.
Kaller, S. G., White, B. J. & Kruesi, M. J. P. (1989). Fire setting and Klinefelter Syndrome. Letters to the editor. Pediatrics, 84(4), 749.Google Scholar
Kastner, T. (1998). Developmental disabilities. In Friedman, S. B., Fisher, M., Schonberg, S. K., and Alderman, E. M., eds., Comprehensive Adolescent Health Care, 2nd edn. St. Louis, MO: Mosby – Year Book, Inc., pp. 885–886.
Lemp, G. F., Hirozawa, A. M., Givertz, D.et al. (1994). Seroprevalence of HIV and risk behaviors among young homosexual and bisexual men. The San Francisco/Berkeley young men's survey. Journal of the American Medical Association, 272(6), 449–454.Google Scholar
Lester, B. M., LaGasse, L. L. & Seifer, R. (1998). Cocaine exposure and children: the meaning of subtle effects. Science, 282, 633–644.Google Scholar
Lewis, D. O., Moy, E., Jackson, L. D.et al. (1985). Biopsychosocial characteristics of children who later murder: a prospective study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142(10), 1161–1167.Google Scholar
Lewis, D. O., Pincus, J. H., Bard, B.et al. (1988). Neuropsychiatric, psychoeducational, and family characteristics of 14 juveniles condemned to death in the United States. American Journal of Psychiatry, 145(5), 584–589.Google Scholar
Linden, M. A., Manton, W. I., Stewart, M. R.et al. (1982). Lead poisoning from retained bullets – pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Annals of Surgery, 195, 305–313.Google Scholar
MacKay, A. P., Fingerhut, L. A. & Druan, C. R. (2000). Adolescent Health Chartbook. Health, United States, 2000. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Martin, B. R. (1993). What are the long-term consequences for the child of in utero exposure to drugs? In Robins, L. N. and Mills, J. L. (eds). Effects of in utero exposure to street drugs. American Journal of Public Health, Suppl 83, 18–20.Google Scholar
Miller, M. E. & Sulkes, S. (1988). Fire-setting behavior in individuals with Klinefelter Syndrome. Pediatrics, 82(1), 115–117.Google Scholar
Miller, M. E. & Sulkes, S. (1989). Klinefelter Syndrome and fire-setting behavior. Letters to the editor. Pediatrics, 83(4), 649–650.Google Scholar
Mitchell, D. A., Abluwalia, K. P., Albert, D. A.et al. (2003). Dental caries experience in northern Manhattan adolescents. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 63(3), 189–194.Google Scholar
Morris, R. E. (1995). Health risk behavior survey from thirty-nine juvenile correctional facilities in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 17, 334–344.Google Scholar
Morris, R. E., Baker, C. J., Valentine, M. & Pennisi, A. (1998). Variations in HIV risk behaviors of incarcerated juveniles during a four year period: 1989–1992. Journal of Adolescent Health, 23(1), 39–48.Google Scholar
Moscicki, A., Shiboski, S.Hills, N. K.et al. (2004). Regression of low-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions in young women. Lancet, 364, 1678–1683.Google Scholar
Murphy, R., Swartz, R. & Watkins, P. B. (1990). Severe acetaminophen toxicity in a patient receiving isoniazid. Annals of International Medicine, 113, 799–900.Google Scholar
National Institute of Justice (1996). 1995 Drug Use Forecasting: Annual Report on Adult and Juvenile Arrestees. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.
Needleman, H. L. & Gastonis, C. A. (1990). Low-level lead exposure and the IQ of children. A meta-analysis of modern studies. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263(5), 673–678.Google Scholar
Needleman, H. L., Schell, A., Bellinger, D., Leviton, A. & Allred, E. N. (1990). The long-term effects of exposure to low doses of lead in childhood. An 11-year follow-up report. New England Journal of Medicine, 322(2), 83–88.Google Scholar
Needleman, H. L., Riess, J. A., Tobin, M. J., Biesecker, G. E. & Greenhouse, J. B. (1996). Bone lead levels and delinquent behavior. Journal of the American Medical Association, 275(5), 363–369.Google Scholar
Nesmith, J. D., Klerman, L. V., Oh, M. K. & Feinstein, R. A. (1997). Procreative experiences and orientations toward paternity held by incarcerated males. Journal of Adolescent Health, 20, 198–203.Google Scholar
Nielsen, J., Pelsen, B. & Sorensen, K. (1988). Follow-up of 30 Klinefelter males treated with testosterone. Clinical Genetics, 33, 262–269.Google Scholar
Oh, M. K., Cloud, G. A., Wallace, L. S.et al. (1994). Sexual behavior and sexually transmitted diseases among male adolescents in detention. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 21, 127–132.Google Scholar
Osmond, D. H., Page, K., Wiley, J.et al. (1994). HIV infection in homosexual and bisexual men 18 to 29 years of age: the San Francisco young men's health study. American Journal of Public Health, 84(12), 1933–1937.Google Scholar
Otnow-Lewis, D. (1998). Guilty by Reason of Insanity: A Psychiatrist Probes the Minds of Killers. New York, NY: Fawcett Columbine.
Ozuah, P. O., Ozuah, T. P., Stein, R. E., Burton, W. & Mulvihill, M. (2001). Evaluation of a risk assessment questionnaire used to target tuberculin skin testing in children. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(4), 451–453.Google Scholar
Pan, E. S., Diep, B. A., Carleton, H. A.et al. (2003). Increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in California jails. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 37(10), 1384–1388.Google Scholar
Parsonnet, J., Shmuely, H. & Haggerty, T. (1999). Fecal and oral shedding of Helicobacter pylori from healthy infected adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282(23), 2240–2245.Google Scholar
Perry, B., Pollard, R., Blakley, T., Baker, W. & Vigilante, E. (1995). Childhood trauma, the neurobiology of adaption and “use-dependent” development of the brain: how “states” become “traits”. Infant Mental Health Journal, 16, 271–289.Google Scholar
Richmond, N. L. (1978). The dental clinic at Indiana girls' school. Alumni Bulletin School of Dentistry Indiana Univ 1978 Fall, 17–8, 104.Google Scholar
Robertson, A. A., Thomas, C. B., St. Lawrence, J. S. & Pack, R. (2005). Predictors of infection with chlamydia and gonorrhea in incarcerated adolescents. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 32(2), 115–122.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, P. S. & Biggar, R. J. (1998). Trends in HIV incidence among young adults in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(23), 1894–1899.Google Scholar
Rosenstein, N., Levine, O., Taylor, J. P.et al. (1998). Efficacy of meningococcal vaccine and barriers to vaccination. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(6), 435–439.Google Scholar
Saslow, D., Runowicz, C. D., Solomon, D.et al.(2002). American Cancer Society guideline for the early detection of cervical neoplasia and cancer. CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 52(6), 342–362.Google Scholar
Saudou, F., Amara, D. A., Dierich, A.et al. (1994). Enhanced aggressive behavior in mice lacking 5-HT1B receptor. Science, 265, 1875–1878.Google Scholar
Scholes, D., Stergachis, A., Heidrich, F. E.et al. (1996). Prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease by screening for cervical chlamydial infection. New England Journal of Medicine, 334, 1362–1366.Google Scholar
Schwartz, R. H. (1998). Adolescent heroin use: a review. Pediatrics, 102(6), 1461–1466.Google Scholar
Selbst, S. M., Henretig, F., Fee, M. A., Levy, S. E. & Kitts, A. W.(1986). Lead poisoning in a child with a gunshot wound. Pediatrics, 77(3), 413–416.Google Scholar
Seymour, R. B. & Smith, D. E. (1987). Guide to Psychoactive Drugs: An Up-to-the-Minute Reference to Mind-Altering Substances. New York, NY: Harrington Park Press, p. 9.
Shafer, M. S., Hilton, J. F., Elkstrand, M.et al. (1993). Relationship between drug use and sexual behaviors and the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases among high-risk male youth. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 20, 307–313.Google Scholar
Shanok, S. S. & Lewis, D. O. (1981). Medical histories of abused delinquents. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 11(4), 222–231.Google Scholar
Snider, D. E. & Caras, G. J. (1992). Isoniazid-associated hepatitis deaths: a review of available information. American Review of Respiratory Disease, 145, 494–497.Google Scholar
Society for Adolescent Medicine (2000). Position paper. Health care for incarcerated youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27, 73–75.
Stone, R. & Kelner, K. (eds) (2000). Violence: no silver bullet. Science, 289, 569–585.Google Scholar
Streissguth, A. P., Aase, J. M., Clarren, S. K.et al. (1991). Fetal alcohol syndrome in adolescents and adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 265(15), 1961–1967.Google Scholar
Suerbaum, S. & Michetti, P. (2002). Helicobacter pylori infection. New England Journal of Medicine, 347(15), 1175–1186.Google Scholar
Tappero, J. W., Reporter, R., Wenger, J. D.et al. (1996). Meningococcal disease in Los Angeles County, California, and among men in the county jails. New England Journal of Medicine, 335(17), 833–840.Google Scholar
Tompkins, L. S. & Falkow, S. (1995). The new path to preventing ulcers. Science, 267, 1621–1622.Google Scholar
Tonkonogy, J. M. (1991). Violence and temporal lobe lesion: head CT and MRI data. Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 3, 189–196.Google Scholar
Tonkonogy, J. M. & Geller, J. L. (1992). Hypothalamic lesions and intermittent explosive disorder. Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 4, 45–50.Google Scholar
US Department of Health and Human Services (1991). Protection of human subjects, part 46, subpart c46.301–46.306. In Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Public Welfare. Bethesda, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office for Protection from Research Risks.
Volavka, J. (2002). Neurobiology of Violence, 2nd edn. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
Volkow, N. D. & Tancredi, L. (1987). Neural substrates of violent behavior: a preliminary study with positron emission tomography. British Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 668–673.Google Scholar
Volpe, J. J. (1992). Effect of cocaine use on the fetus. New England Journal of Medicine, 327(6), 399–407.Google Scholar
Westrom, L., Josesoef, R., Reynolds, G., Hagdu, A. & Thompson, S. E. (1992). Pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility: a cohort of 1844 women with laparoscopically verified disease and 657 control women with normal laparoscopy. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 19, 185–192.Google Scholar
Wolner-Hanssen, P., Kiviat, N. B. & Holmes, K. K. (1990). Atypical pelvic inflammatory disease: subacute, chronic, or subclinical upper genital tract infection in women. In Holmes, K. K., March, P. A., Sparling, P. F. and Wiesner, P. J., eds., Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2nd edn. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Information Services, pp. 615–20.
Woolf, A. & Funk, S. G. (1985). Epidemiology of trauma in a population of incarcerated youth. Pediatrics, 75(3), 463–468.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×