Education

Mentally Ill Children

September 21, 2004 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Mentally Ill Children: Failing to link mentally ill children with the services and treatments they need can carry heavy consequences, a congressional report suggests.

In a six-month survey of 524 juvenile-detention centers across the country, nearly 15,000 incarcerated youngsters-roughly 7 percent of all the children in the centers that responded to the investigation-were being held only because they were waiting for mental-health services.

The report, released last month, was prepared for Rep. Henry A. Waxman, a California Democrat, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, by the House Committee on Government Reform’s special-investigations division. The survey followed Senate hearings held last year to examine the challenges faced by families of mentally ill children.

Two-thirds of the nation’s juvenile-detention centers hold children and adolescents who are awaiting community mental-health treatment, the study found. In 33 states, it found, such youngsters are incarcerated without any criminal charges, and those waiting for treatment are as young as 7.

Together, the centers spend an estimated $100 million annually to house youths waiting for mental-health services.

“According to experts in mental health and juvenile detention, the survey results likely underestimate the full scope of the problem,” the report warns. “Major improvements in community mental-health services are urgently needed to prevent the unnecessary and inappropriate incarceration of children and youth in the United States.”

Read “Incarceration of Youth Who Are Waiting for Community Mental Health Services in the United States,” posted by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read