Advocating for all youth: Pediatricians and the juvenile justice system

The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation. Unique risk factors contribute to juvenile justice system involvement. Even short term incarceration during adolescence and young adulthood has been found to be associated with poorer general and mental health later in life. Indeed, Washington, D.C., with its admixture of many social determinants of health and various manifestations of poverty, is a unique case study to consider the health of youth that are justice-involved and ways in which pediatricians can serve as advocates.