Interagency Services in Juvenile Justice Systems (From Juvenile Justice and Public Policy: Toward a National Agenda, 1992, P 134-150, Ira M Schwartz, ed. -- See NCJ-138726)

• NCJ Number: 138733
• Author(s): M Soler
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: Macmillan
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter provides descriptions of three programs that provide interagency services to juveniles: the Willie M. program for violent and seriously disturbed youth in North Carolina, the case management and family preservation programs instituted by the Department of Juvenile Justice in New York City, and the Ventura County Children's Demonstration Project in California.

Abstract

The Willie M. program, prompted by a civil settlement that involved the issue of right to treatment, implements a model of coordinated mental health prevention and treatment services, including medical, psychological, nutritional, social, educational, vocational, and legal services for violent and severely disturbed juveniles. Treatment is individualized, and if the program required to meet the needs of a particular juvenile does not exist, it is promptly created. The New York Department of Juvenile Justice was the first public juvenile justice agency in the Nation to provide effective case management for children charged with delinquency offenses, and also the first to provide intensive family preservation services. Under the case management plan, staff conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that covers medical, dental, mental health, education, and family background. An interdepartmental team then develops an individualized plan for services in nonsecure detention and aftercare. The Ventura County Children's Demonstration Project was mandated in 1985 by the California legislature, which authorized Ventura County to develop a model for a "comprehensive, coordinated children's mental health system that can be replicated in other counties." The interagency partnership, particularly the provision of mental health services, has been effective. The project has resulted in reduced commitments to State correctional institutions and private out-of-county facilities, decreases in arrests and days of incarceration, reduced incarceration costs, and reduced recidivism. Drawing on the success of these three programs, this chapter identifies characteristics of effective interagency coordinated services for juveniles. 42 references