NCJ Number
198987
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 65 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 64-66
Date Published
February 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the ways that Texas is handling the problem of an increasing number of juvenile offenders entering the correctional system with mental health issues and needs.
Abstract
Noting that the 77th Legislative session in Texas explored the issue of the need for services for juvenile offenders with mental health issues, the author summarizes the topics explored in this session. Texas’s State leaders concluded that it was difficult to accurately assess the number of juveniles in the probation system with mental health needs, that the mental health system was under-funded to service all clients needing services, that the mental health system required that clients want the services provided, that juvenile offenders with mental health issues in the probation system were often referred because of domestic violence and/or assault, that the cost to the State for failing to identify and serve these juveniles became more expensive the older an offender was, that placement options for these individuals was limited and expensive, that many juveniles with substance abuse issues also had mental health needs, and that specialized supervision and treatment services were needed to effectively serve juvenile offenders. In order to address the issues raised in the legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed legislation allowing the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) to designate a mental health-screening instrument to be used by all departments. While no new monies were appropriated to the mental health system, the TJPC developed a program to provide a comprehensive array of mental health services to juvenile offenders. Assessing the first year of this project, the author contends that Texas has made positive effective in-roads in addressing the impact of mental health in the juvenile justice system. 4 Endnotes