Youth often come into detention with medical and mental health conditions needing prompt attention. Many young people and their family members have not had access to adequate health care in the community, and many youth have unrecognized health issues. Some youth have chronic medical or mental health-care needs, while others have care needs arising from the incident leading to detention, as well as from the mental-health impact of being incarcerated.

This section highlights key elements in meeting the medical and mental health needs of youth. These standards place an emphasis on providing medical and mental health services in partnership with family members.