Juvenile Suicides in Adult Jails: Findings From a Natural Survey of Juveniles in Secure Detention Facilities

Data from a 1977/78 study of persons below the age of 18 who were incarcarated in juvenile detention centres, adult jails & lockups was compared to that of children aged 5-17 in the general population. The rate of suicides for juveniles in adult jails was 12.3/100,000, 4.6 times the rate of those in the general population; for those in adult lockups, 8.6/100,000, 3 times higher, and for juveniles in juvenile detention centres, 1.6/100,000 , which is lower than that of the general population.