The Juvenile Justice Diversion and Re-Entry Initiative for Youth with Mental Health and Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders Involved with the Juvenile Justice System
background
On any given day, over 100,000 youth are being held in custody in juvenile justice facilities across the country, either awaiting trial in detention centers or having been placed in residential facilities after being adjudicated delinquent. There is a growing body of research suggesting that many of these youth meet the criteria for at least one mental health disorder, and that at least one out of every five have what is considered to be a serious mental disorder, often coupled with a co-occurring substance use disorder.
Many of these youth are charged with minor offenses but are detained or placed outside the home because of the lack of community-based mental health services and alternatives to incarceration where they may be better served. While efforts have been made to develop programs to divert adults with mental health disorders into community-based settings, far less emphasis has been placed on developing diversion programs for youth, particularly those with mental health and co-occurring substance use disorders.
While it is clear that many youth with mental health needs could and should be diverted from the juvenile justice system, there is also recognition that some youth, given the seriousness of their acts, will be placed in secure facilities. While recent attention has focused on treatment issues within secure placements, far less attention has been placed on addressing the variety of issues facing these youth and their families as they are released from juvenile justice placement. There is a lack of information and research about juvenile re-entry in general, and even less on effective practices for juveniles with mental health disorders returning to the community.
overview
In September 2003, Policy Research Associates received funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to better identify and assess- across the juvenile justice and mental health fields- effective and promising models and practices to both divert and reintegrate youth with mental health and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. The goal of this effort is to share this information with national, state and local officials across the country in order to foster the further development and implementation of comprehensive and integrated diversion and reintegration models that will more successfully meet the needs of youth, enhance their functioning, and reduce recidivism.
key activities
There are four major tasks associated with this project:
Study and Report on existing juvenile diversion and reintegration models in various states and jurisdictions. Building on an initial juvenile diversion survey that was completed by the Center in partnership with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), efforts are underway to collect additional and more in-depth information about existing juvenile diversion and reintegration services and programs. This includes conducting follow-up telephone and on-site interviews with select programs that responded to the initial survey, and drafting a report which, among other things, includes the key findings and implications from the study, and recommendations for further research.
Convene a National Policy Academy . Working in conjunction with NASMHPD and CJCA, the Center convened a national Policy Academy on the topic of mental health and juvenile justice. Eight teams from across the country were selected to participate in this event which focused on improving services for youth with mental health and substance use disorders involved with the juvenile justice system, with an emphasis on developing diversion and re-entry strategies for these youth. This highly successful event, which was sponsored by SAMHSA in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, included presentations by national experts on a variety of relevant topics as well as facilitated breakout sessions for the teams. Click here for a complete description of the Policy Academy.
Develop a Resource Kit. The Center compiled a comprehensive Resource Kit of materials and information designed to provide the Policy Academy attendees with critical information on a range of topics pertaining to improving services for youth with mental health and substance use disorders involved with the juvenile justice system. The Resource Kit, which was distributed at the Policy Academy, includes over 180 select readings, resources and annotated references on the following issues: screening and assessment; treatment; diversion; re-entry; special issues including girls, youth of color, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and sexual minority youth, and other related topics. To access the Resource Kit, please click here
Provide Technical Assistance. Working with a team of expert consultants, the Center will provide follow-up technical assistance to the attendees of the Policy Academy to assist the teams in the task of implementing the ideas and strategies formulated at the Policy Academy . In addition to the provision of on-site assistance, the Center will also convene periodic conference calls with the teams to monitor activity and provide guidance and assistance as necessary.
Blueprint