Their study involved 2,849 young offenders who had received their first custodial sentence in the state of Victoria, Australia between 1988 and 1999. Participants were followed for an average of three years and deaths were ascertained using national records.
Young male offenders were nine times more likely and female offenders were 40 times more likely to die than young people in the general population. Drug related causes, suicide, and non-intentional injury were the leading causes of death.
Death in young offenders was higher than in equivalent groups with schizophrenia or eating disorders, and young offenders accounted for a quarter of drug related deaths in 15-19 year old men.
These findings indicate that social disadvantage and marginalisation of this group may have played an additional part in many of the deaths, suggest the authors. Social policies for young offenders should address both drug and mental health problems as well as the high levels of social disadvantage.