Youth with Mental Health Disorders: Issues and Emerging Responses.

The mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system have received more attention at the federal level in the past 2 years than in the past three decades combined. The importance of the mental health issue is also being recognized at the state level. A number of factors have contributed to this change. They include: growing recognition of the mental health needs of youth in general; increasing reliance on the justice system to care for individuals with mental illness; and recent changes in the juvenile justice system. Despite this growing concern, there is a paucity of adequate research on the prevalence and types of mental health disorders in the juvenile justice system. However, these conclusions can be drawn: youth in the juvenile justice system experience substantially higher rates of mental health disorders than youth in the general population; a high percentage of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder; it is safe to estimate that at least one out of every five youth in the juvenile justice system has serious mental health problems; and many of the youth in the juvenile justice system with mental illness also have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. A set of comprehensive strategies and models for dealing with mental illness in the juvenile justice system is emerging. It includes collaboration across systems, diverting youth with mental disorders from the juvenile justice system, mental health screening, community-based alternatives, and appropriate treatment. (Contains 47 references.) (MKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 Youth With Mental Health Disorders: Issues and Emerging Responses Youth With Mental Health Disorders: Issues and Emerging Responses by Joseph J Cocozza and Kathleen R. Skowyra agic mass homicides by juveniles, documented cases of neglect and inadequate services, and Federal policy initiatives focusing on providing systems of care for at-risk juveniles have propelled mental health issues among juvenile offenders into the headlines. As the former Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has observed (Bilchik, 1998): It is crucial that we deal not only with the specific behavior or circumstances that bring them [youth] to our attention, but also with their underlying, often long-term mental health and substance abuse problems. Recognition of the Mental Health Needs of Youth The mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system have received more attention at the Federal level in the past 2 years than in the past three decades combined. During the past 2 years: The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice undertook a series of investigations that documented the consistent inadequacy of mental health care and services in juvenile correctional facilities in a number of States (Butterfield, 198). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Mental Health Services initiated the first national survey of juvenile justice facilities to identify available mental health services (Center for Mental Health Services, 1998). Congress considered several bills and amendments that mandated comprehensive mental health and substance abuse screening and treatment programs for youth in the juvenile justice system (Manisses Communications Group, Inc., 1999). U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Joseph J Cocozza, Ph.D. , is Vice President of Policy Research Associates (PM) and Director of the National GAINS Center for People with Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System. Kathleen R. Skowyra is an Area Manager (Violence and Criminal Justice) for PM. PM offers comprehensive services for the application of social science research methods to crucial policy issues at the Federal, State, and local levels. 2 Volume VII Number 1 3