Race/Ethnicity, and Behavioral Health Status: First Arrest and Outcomes in a Large Sample of Juvenile Offenders

The objective of this study was to assess the simultaneous effects of gender, race/ethnicity, and pre-arrest behavioral health (BH) service-use on age at first arrest, and first arrest outcomes. Between January 2004 and December 2011, arrest and medical records were collected on a retrospective longitudinal cohort of 12,476 first-time offenders, ages 8–18 years. Black youth were arrested at younger ages than white or Hispanic youth. Youth with psychiatric problems were arrested at younger ages than youth with substance-use, dual-diagnoses, or no BH problems. Compared to white males , black males had lower odds of detention and BH referrals. Compared to white females , black females had higher odds of release and lower odds of probation, detention, and BH referrals. A significant gender-by-BH problem interaction revealed males and females with previous psychiatric problems were arrested at younger ages than youth with substance, dual-diagnosis, or no prior problems. Implications are discussed.