Juvenile delinquency - Psychiatric care is what youths need

ANY lingering doubts about the underlying causes of juvenile delinquency are well and truly removed by a new report showing that four out of five young people in detention schools suffer from psychiatric problems.

The results make it crystal clear that locking up young offenders, without providing therapies for disorders, is counter-productive and will do little to combat the growing crisis of delinquency and violence in society.

Carried out by two UCD academics, the chilling findings show that one in five boys who offend had suicidal thoughts and attempted to take their lives, while more than half were abusing alcohol and drugs.