Adolescent offenders referred to a forensic psychiatric service. A three-year study

Abstract

This paper describes-the results of a survey of adolescent offenders referred to a tertiary National Health Service forensic psychiatric service based in South Wales over a three year period. Seventy-seven adolescents aged between 13 to 18 years were seen (5.1% of all referrals to the Service during this time). The majority of the adolescents had committed major offences including serious sexual crime, wounding and murder. A high rate of mental disorder was observed in this survey as well as high levels of substance misuse. Eighteen per cent were admitted to a hospital for further assessment and treatment.