Department of Forensic and Social Medicine, hôpital Jean-Verdier (AP-HP), 93140, Bondy, France.
Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les enjeux sociaux (IRIS), UMR 8156-997, UFR SMBH, Sorbonne Paris Cité, université Paris 13, Paris, France.
Int J Legal Med. 2019 Jul;133(4):1251-1258. doi: 10.1007/s00414-018-1942-1. Epub 2018 Oct 15.
Custody conditions in police cells are often demeaning and considered inappropriate for human beings. The detention of young adolescents in police custody has received little attention. Our study aimed to describe the characteristics of adolescents under 18 detained in custody.
We studied all arrestees aged 13-17 examined in 1 year (January 01-December 31, 2014) in a suburban district near Paris. We evaluated the proportion of adolescents under 18 among all arrestees detained in custody and their medical history, addictive behaviors, perceived health status, and opinion on custody.
Arrestees aged 13-17 accounted for 1859 individuals. They were predominantly males (94%) and accounted for 19% of all examinations in custody. Nearly half of the arrestees aged 13-15 (42%), and two thirds of those aged 16-17 (65%) had been previously detained in police cells. Somatic and psychiatric disorders were reported by 7% and 4%, respectively, of arrestees aged 13-17. Alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis consumption were reported by 5%, 24%, and 12%, respectively, of arrestees aged 13-15. These proportions were lower than the 16%, 50%, and 35%, respectively, reported by arrestees aged 16-17 (p < 0.0001). Assaults were reported by 18% of arrestees aged 13-17. They had a fair, bad, or very bad opinion on custody in 43% of cases.
The detention of adolescents in police stations is commonly associated with assaults at the time of arrest. High proportions of adolescent arrestees smoke tobacco or cannabis. We suggest that the medical examination in custody could be an opportunity for adolescents to initiate access to health care.
警察拘留所的拘留条件往往有辱人格，不适合人类。对青少年在警察拘留所的拘留问题关注甚少。本研究旨在描述在押的 18 岁以下青少年的特征。
我们研究了 2014 年 1 月 1 日至 12 月 31 日在巴黎郊区一个区接受检查的所有 13-17 岁的被捕者。我们评估了 18 岁以下青少年在所有被拘留者中的比例，以及他们的病史、成瘾行为、感知健康状况和对拘留的看法。
13-17 岁的被捕者有 1859 人。他们主要是男性（94%），占拘留检查的 19%。近一半的 13-15 岁被捕者（42%）和三分之二的 16-17 岁被捕者（65%）曾被关押在警察拘留所。13-17 岁的被捕者中分别有 7%和 4%报告有躯体和精神障碍。13-15 岁的被捕者中分别有 5%、24%和 12%报告有饮酒、吸烟和吸食大麻。这些比例低于 16-17 岁被捕者报告的 16%、50%和 35%（p<0.0001）。13-17 岁的被捕者中有 18%报告有袭击。他们中有 43%的人对拘留的看法是公平、差或很差。
青少年在警察局被拘留通常与被捕时的袭击有关。有相当大比例的青少年被捕者吸烟或吸食大麻。我们建议在拘留期间进行体检，这是青少年获得医疗保健的一个机会。
