Single-Session Interventions as a Sociostructural Response to Behavioral Health Care Gaps in Juvenile Detention

Detained youth are disproportionately affected by sociostructural determinants of health and consequently experience substantially higher rates of behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use) concerns than their similarly aged peers. Although the juvenile legal system is purportedly grounded in a rehabilitative model, gaps in access to timely behavioral health services during incarceration are common and undermine this goal, highlighting confinement itself as an additional sociostructural determinant of health. Brief, intensive, and concentrated (BIC) interventions have been proposed as a promising approach for addressing behavioral health needs among detained youth; however, empirical evaluations of such approaches are limited in correctional settings. One type of BIC intervention, single-session interventions (SSIs), holds significant potential for short-term youth detention settings but must be contextually adapted to support ethical, feasible, and effective implementation. In this commentary, we outline key ethical, cultural, and implementation considerations for SSI delivery and identify strategic points across the detention trajectory where SSIs may address unmet behavioral health needs (e.g., entry into detention, following disciplinary incidents, before and after court hearings, and before reentry). We conclude by discussing implications for future research aimed at expanding access to developmentally responsive behavioral health supports for detained youth.