title: Who does the family court refer for psychiatric services?
abstract: Demographic differences between adolescents referred for psychiatric services by the Family Court and by facility staff at a state-run juvenile justice evaluation center are examined. Those groups are then compared to the facility's general population. It is concluded that race, gender, age, and judicial discretion are the factors that distinguish court-referred adolescents from their counterparts referred by facility staff and in the general population.
authors.affiliation: William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute, Univ of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, USA.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Gunter-Justice
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*