Juvenile Detention and Primary Care Utilization: Are They Related?

There is little information on the health care utilization habits of juvenile justice-involved youth. We evaluated whether health care utilization trends after discharge from a juvenile detention facility are associated with a decreased risk of future detention. A retrospective chart review was conducted for youth admitted to a juvenile detention facility from November 1, 2017, to October 31, 2018. Youth who accessed primary care (PC) appeared less likely to be readmitted to juvenile detention compared to those who did not access PC, with the greatest increase in readmissions occurring between days 30 and 60 and slowing after day 90. PC access and health care utilization may be associated with a decreased risk of future detention; however, additional research is needed to further explore this potential linkage.