NCJ Number
218103
Journal
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 147-167
Date Published
April 2007
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study extends existing research on factors that contribute to an increased likelihood for children’s dual involvement in both the mental health service system and the juvenile justice system, specifically those children with severe emotional disturbance.
Abstract
Results indicated that boys were more likely to be dually involved than were girls. However, the girls who were dually involved had significantly lower levels of functioning than dually involved boys and girls who were not dually involved. The findings also indicate that for boys and girls, children who were older and had more transitions in their living situations were more likely to be dually involved. Specifically, social problems significantly decreased the likelihood of dual involvement. Items with the Social Problem subscale indicate more peer rejection and isolation rather than social problems that were more related to deviant peer association. The findings highlight the need for greater collaboration among service systems given the strong overlap between mental health and juvenile justice involvement for many children. Little is known about clinically related factors that might be associated with dual involvement in mental health and juvenile justice systems. This study used a subsample of children receiving community-based mental health services to examine factors that were associated with dual involvement. It also examined these factors separately by gender to predict whether a child with mental health problems also would become involved in the juvenile justice system. Tables, references