Suicide is the number one cause of death in the juvenile justice system. Though the numbers of completed suicides annually are relatively low, suicide attempts and threats of suicide in the juvenile justice system are high. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Leah Saulter, Psychologist, who specializes in trauma. Dr. Saulter has spent years working with young men in detention centers in Texas and Ohio. We ask Dr. Saulter about the mental health of young people in the justice system. We also discuss what has happened to these young people that would lead them to imprisonment at such a young age. 

Almost half of young people in prison have had four or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). For example, homelessness, domestic violence, sexual assault experiences that qualify as an ACE. We know that the more ACEs one experiences the more likely one is to become suicidal. Research also supports that the higher the ACE score, the more likely one is to become incarcerated. Prison itself is could be considered an Adverse Childhood Experience. “State Schools,” as juvenile detention centers are commonly called, are scary, intimidating places, where young people are placed away from the only home they have ever known. For more on what ACEs are and how they impact us into adulthood, check out this week’s blog, “ACEs and Incarceration.”