Article

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among young
people in custody and to compare this with estimates within the general youth
population. DESIGN: Systematic review of research from various national contexts.
Included studies were assessed for the relevance of the definition of TBI and the
research population, and the quality of the study design. RESULTS: Ten studies
were identified for inclusion in the review. Four of these studies included
control groups. No studies examining comorbidity of TBI and other
neurodevelopmental disorders among incarcerated young people were identified.
CONCLUSION: Reported prevalence rates of brain injury among incarcerated youth
range from 16.5% to 72.1%, with a rate of 100% reported among a sample of young
people sentenced to death. This suggests considerable levels of need among
incarcerated young people. Where control groups or directly comparable studies
within the general population exist, there is strong and consistent evidence of a
prevalence of TBI among incarcerated youth that is substantially greater than
that in the general population. This disparity is seemingly more pronounced as
the severity of the injury increases.

Langue : ANGLAIS