Module 4: Coordinating and Integrating Systems

3. Sharing Criminal Records and Information with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals

Juvenile justice personnel (correction officers, juvenile caseworkers, probation/parole officers, etc.) often have a great deal of information that can be helpful to treatment providers. They screen and assess youth with co-occurring disorders, as well as supervise them. But just like the treatment system, there are restrictions regarding the ability of juvenile justice personnel to communicate this information to individuals outside the juvenile justice system.

Juvenile justice regulations are less concrete and are subject to local agency policy, court policy, State law, etc. In some States, criminal history and offense reports are not subject to redisclosure and are stamped as such when juvenile justice staff receive the records from law enforcement. It is important to know local policy and law so critical juvenile justice information can be shared with treatment providers. It is also important for the treatment providers to understand the authority of written court orders and implications when designing treatment plans.