Module 2: Screening and Assessment

4. Screening for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System

Most states and national standard-setting agencies require that every youth entering a juvenile justice facility be screened for suicide risk, substance abuse, and/or other mental and emotional disturbances. This type of screening typically identifies youth in need of special staff attention, monitoring, immediate (emergency) treatment, facility programming, or more comprehensive mental health and/or substance abuse assessment. Juvenile justice agencies and researchers use mental health and substance abuse screening tools to gather data on the mental and emotional characteristics of youth in their care. This information helps identify the amount and type of mental health services needed to serve youths in juvenile justice custody (Grisso & Barnum, 1998).

This section provides information on when screening should occur, key areas of mental health, and key areas of substance abuse screenings, the ABC Screening Model for mental health and substance abuse symptoms, and recommendations for screening for co-occurring disorders.