Addressing the Mental Health Needs of LGBTQ Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

While growing awareness of the unmet mental health needs of LGBTQ youth populations has prompted calls for greater emphasis on health equity, efforts have largely overlooked glaring inequities affecting LGBTQ youth who become involved with the justice system. The disproportionality of juvenile justice system involvement for LGTBQ youth is a public health concern that merits focused attention and advocacy from child and adolescent mental health professionals. The proportion of incarcerated youth in the juvenile justice system who are LGBTQ is twice that of LGBTQ youth in the general adolescent population.¹ Disparities are even more pronounced for girls-40% of incarcerated girls identify as LGB and/or report same-sex attraction.² Furthermore, gender and sexuality dimensions intersect with racial and ethnic identities for many youth involved in the justice system. In fact, 85%-90% of incarcerated LGBTQ youth are from ethnic or racial minority backgrounds.^2,3 Thus, we call for attentiveness to the intersectional inequities facing LGBTQ youth involved in the justice system and offer solutions for improving their mental health outcomes. Child and adolescent mental health professionals can change trajectories of LGBTQ youth through clinical work that addresses modifiable risk factors facing LGBTQ youth, targeted research efforts on the experiences of LGBTQ youth in justice settings as well as intervention studies, and legislative advocacy that provides protective and appropriate services to LGBTQ youth across various justice system touchpoints.