Health issues faced by adolescents incarcerated in the juvenile justice system.

Incarcerated adolescents have a high level of health problems when compared to those not incarcerated. These higher rates are in part due to inadequate coping skills. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a literature review of articles that focus on the health issues of incarcerated adolescents. This review provides an overview of the issue, strategies that nurses working in juvenile facilities can employ to increase their impact on the health of adolescent offenders, and research needs for the future. Thirty articles published around the world between the years 1995 and 2007 are reviewed and described.