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Juvenile Justice

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Involvement with the juvenile justice system has been linked to an increased suicide risk among youth. Factors that may increase suicide risk in this population include mental health and/or substance use disorders, the loss of a friend or family member or friend to suicide or another cause of death, social isolation, relationship problems, and separation from family.  

Administrators, staff, and others in the juvenile justice system can play an important role in suicide prevention. Adopting suicide prevention protocols, guidelines, and tools will help improve the juvenile justice system’s intervention standards and mental health care, thereby contributing to suicide prevention and to the overall health and well-being of justice-involved youth.

Prevention Resources and Tools

The Action Alliance (Youth in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System Task Force) has developed several resources aimed at supporting suicide prevention in juvenile justice settings.

Related Resources

Preventing Juvenile Suicide through Improved Collaboration: Strategies for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (Summary)
This report provides recommendations for achieving collaboration in various fields such as juvenile justice and law enforcement to prevent suicide.
Guide to Developing and Revising Suicide Prevention Protocols for Youth in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System
This report addresses performance-based standards for juvenile correction and detention facilities.
Screening and Assessment for Suicide Prevention: Tools and Procedures for Risk Identification and Risk Reduction among Juvenile Justice Youth
The paper identifies gaps in literature and in research on suicide and its prevention among juvenile justice involved youth.
National Action Alliance
for Suicide Prevention

300 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2010
Waltham, MA 02451

info@theActionAlliance.org

Thank you for reaching out to us via email. The Action Alliance is not a crisis line. If we are concerned about an email you send to our inbox, we will forward your communication to 988. Please know that we care about you, and that you don’t have to answer the call from 988, but their resources are always available. If you or someone you know is experiencing a suicide or mental health related crisis, please call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org.

Education Development CenterSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationSuicide Prevention Resource Center

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) at EDC is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services, under Grant No. 1H79SM083028-01. The views, opinions, and content expressed are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of SAMHSA or HHS.

Black and white text that reads 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org.

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