NCJ Number
137009
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Jean Lovell, the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, testifies in favor of the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and points out the need for mental health services for rural youth in Nebraska's juvenile justice system.
Abstract
In many parts of Nebraska, an array of services for youth is not available. Although youth would be better served in their own communities, it is often necessary for youth to leave their home towns to receive appropriate mental health services. Attached to this testimony is an executive summary of a recent Adolescent and Mental Health Services System Plan developed by the Nebraska Department of Public Institutions. The plan recommends a comprehensive array of mental health services for youth that includes outpatient treatment, day treatment, home-based services, therapeutic foster care, therapeutic group homes, residential treatment, and inpatient hospitalization. This report also indicates that home-based services, day treatment, therapeutic foster care, and therapeutic group homes are lacking in most parts of the State. Other attachments are a map that shows those regions and charts that indicate the availability of these services in each region of the State. A third attachment reviews the history of Nebraska's jail removal initiatives.