Youth’s Needs and Services: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement—a U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention bulletin—presents findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) on how facilities have addressed youth needs, what services youth receive, and where these services could be improved. Specifically, the bulletin details youth reports regarding their—

• overall emotional and psychological problems and the counseling they receive in custody;
• substance abuse problems prior to entering custody and the substance abuse counseling they receive in their facility;
• medical needs and services; and
• educational background and the educational services the facility provides to them.

The findings are based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of 7,073 youth in custody during spring 2003, using audio computer-assisted self-interview methodology. Researchers analyzed the answers and assessed differences among subgroups of youth offenders in custody based on their age, gender, and placement program (detention, corrections, community-based, camp, or residential treatment facilities).

SYRP provides the first nationally representative findings on the needs of the population of youth who are in custody because they are charged with or adjudicated for offenses. These findings also are unique because they come from youth self-reports. The results reveal a broad range of needs in the custody population, show the extent to which existing services address these needs, and identify a number of areas in which improvements should be made. Readers interested in additional information may access the document (NCJ 227728) at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service’s Web site, http://www.ncjrs.gov.