Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24, and youth in custody are at far greater risk. Studies show they are up to 19 times more likely to take their own lives than their peers in the community. Every September, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month offers a critical moment to turn attention toward these realities, especially within juvenile justice facilities where the stakes are high.

For many justice-involved youth, the first 24 to 72 hours of confinement are the most dangerous. Fear, shame, isolation, and uncertainty collide with untreated trauma and pre-existing psychiatric disorders, creating a perfect storm for crisis. Mental illness in justice-involved youth is therefore not just a background condition, but one of the most critical drivers of suicide vulnerability in detention settings. 

Addressing this challenge begins with detection. Validated tools like the Web MAYSI2 available from Orbis, youth screening tools enable facilities to assess mental illness in youth and identify suicide risk early, strengthen consistency in justice mental health assessment, and connect young people to timely care. 

This blog will explore four pillars of suicide prevention in juvenile justice: early detection, consistent and reliable assessment, system coordination, and meaningful response. 

Mental Illness in Justice-involved Youth Shows Highest Suicide Risk at Intake 

The intake process is one of the most vulnerable moments for a young person entering detention. Fear of the unknown, sudden separation from family, and the shock of confinement all converge in ways that can overwhelm young people. Adding legal uncertainty can quickly make the emotional load unbearable. 

Research shows that nearly half of juvenile suicides occur within the first week of confinement. This narrow window makes it clear that suicide prevention cannot wait until a later time in a youth's detention. 

Immediate, structured evaluation is not optional; it is lifesaving. When facilities treat suicide screening as a system-level intervention rather than a procedural checkbox, they establish a culture of prevention. Intake then becomes the first critical opportunity to detect crises and reduce harm. 

Why Staff Observation Isn't Always Enough 

Relying solely on staff observation to detect youth suicide risk and identify mental illness in  can leave dangerous gaps. Many young people in custody carry deep pain quietly, masking depression, hopelessness, or the effects of trauma behind silence or even defiance. Outward behavior rarely tells the whole story. A youth may appear calm or compliant while wrestling with thoughts of self-harm that staff cannot see. 

Studies indicate that even well-trained professionals frequently miss subtle warning signs, especially when workloads are high or they have not received regular staff training in suicide prevention. This is where structured, validated approaches prove indispensable. A mental health assessment conducted with a research-backed youth screening tool, such as the Web MAYSI-2, provides an objective lens. 

Standardized tools also help facilities ensure consistent practice. Observational methods can be influenced by decision-making blind spots, resulting in inconsistent outcomes across different groups of justice-involved youth. By embedding evidence-based screening into intake, facilities reduce these disparities and ensure that mental health issues are detected consistently, early, and with the seriousness demanded. 

Digital Youth Screening Tools Strengthen Coordination and Continuity of Care 

Juvenile facilities rely on many moving parts. Custody staff, clinicians, probation officers, case managers and health care practitioners must all share accurate information to keep young people safe. Without reliable systems, critical details about a young person's mental health can be lost in transition. Cloud-based platforms like the web MAYSI-2 change this dynamic. They allow data from a youth mental health assessment to be instantly available to the right people, reducing delays that often undermine care. 

The advantages are clear: 

• Real-time access allows immediate response when a screening tool flags suicide risk in justice-involved youth. 

• Portability ensures that records follow justice-involved youth between facilities or into community supervision, which supports continuity of care. 

• Improved follow-up means risk factors are monitored consistently rather than forgotten in file drawers. 

• Reduced administrative errors and paperwork free up staff time, allowing them to focus on clinical responses rather than clerical tasks. 

For justice-involved youth, these features form a safety net that paper systems cannot provide. Digital tools strengthen both coordination and suicide prevention by turning assessments into actionable protection. 

A Youth Screening Tool Is Only as Strong as the System That Follows 

Screening alone cannot prevent suicide. A tool may identify risk, but without crisis protocols and immediate access to qualified mental health professionals, the information stops at the assessment. As outlined by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, mental illness in justice-involved youth requires a system equipped to respond. We must build pathways that connect flagged youth with intervention right away, not days later. 

Staff preparedness is critical. Even the most advanced youth screening tool falls short if employees are uncertain about what to do when results indicate imminent risk. Evidence-based training equips custody officers, clinicians, and program staff to act decisively, whether that means initiating constant observation, ordering further assessment, contacting emergency services, or engaging crisis counseling. 

Equally important is recognizing that suicide prevention is not a one-time event. Risk can shift as a young person's legal case develops, as family stressors change, or as trauma resurfaces. Administrators must ask: Does our facility treat screening as a one-off checklist item, or as part of an ongoing process that links detection with care? Only the latter ensures that mental health assessments translate into safer outcomes for justice-involved youth. 

Save Lives by Detecting Mental Illness in Justive-involved Youth Early 

Early, validated screening remains one of the strongest defenses against suicide in custody. When facilities implement structured assessments for mental illness at intake, they catch risks that observation alone cannot. For justice-involved youth, this difference can mean the difference between life and death. 

The long-term benefits extend beyond a single intervention. Strong screening practices, paired with coordinated follow-up, create safer facilities and more responsive systems of care. Over time, this investment yields better outcomes for young people returning to their communities and fosters greater confidence among the professionals tasked with protecting them. 

Now is the time for leaders in juvenile justice to evaluate their practices. Do current protocols guarantee that a youth screening tool is followed by rapid access to mental health support? Are staff trained and ready to act when warning signs appear? 

Addressing mental illness in justice-involved youth through early detection and a coordinated response can save lives. The responsibility belongs to every system that holds youth in its care. 

Orbis Partners provides solutions for criminal justice and human services systems, specializing in designing and implementing services for at-risk client groups. Orbis' risk, needs, and strengths assessment tools are designed to guide the casework process by incorporating an individual's unique set of needs. For more information about our assessments, visit our Assessments page.