Northwestern Juvenile Project (Cook County, IL): Baseline, 1995-1998 [Restricted]

Established in 1995, the Northwestern Juvenile Project assessed alcohol, drug, or mental (ADM) service needs of juvenile detainees. The study took place between the years of 1995 and 1998, sampling 1,829 male and female juvenile detainees within Cook County, Illinois. This study had two specific aims: To assess the juvenile detainees ADM service needs (including psychiatric disorder, comorbidity and functional impairment); and, To determine the extent that juvenile detainees who need ADM services received them while in the custody of the criminal justice system. This study has four methodological advantages over prior research: Stratified random sampling; Sufficiently large N (approximately 600 females and 1200 males); Reliable instruments; and Comorbidity data. Questions for respondents generally pertain to demographics, medical and sexual history, criminal history, aptitude and mental health assessment, familial and social relations, drug abuse, and education.