This study aims to qualitatively describe the developmental trajectories of juvenile legal system (JLS) involvement and suicidal/self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) amongst ethnoracially diverse high school-aged adolescents enrolled in a specialty school for JLS-involved youth. Utilizing narrative interviews and timeline construction, we anticipate these data will greatly inform theory on the trajectories of suicide and JLS involvement as well as guide future empirical studies.

Recruitment will take place primarily at the FREE LA High school, which is a high-school program developed by the Youth Justice Coalition in South Los Angeles to build youth leadership and academic skills in youth with past JLS involvement (98% of students are Black or Latinx). In addition, study staff will partner with broader organizations working with JLS-impacted young adults (e.g., Cre8Innovations, National Foster Youth Institute, Rising Scholars programs at local colleges/universities) to distribute recruitment flyers to potential participants. 

Inclusion criteria will be age 18 or older, prior involvement in the JLS (e.g., previous arrest, court appearance, incarceration), and past SITBs (e.g., self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts). Exclusion criteria will be currently experiencing a mental health crisis. After recruitment is complete for the main study, a sub-study will be conducted whereby we recruit 110 additional participants to solely complete the quantitative survey remotely, on their own time.

For more information on Dr. Meza’s research with the National Center for Health and Justice Integration for Suicide Prevention (NCHATS), click here.