NCJ Number
219464
Journal
Residential Treatment for Children & Youth Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: 2004 Pages: 19-32
Date Published
2004
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This evaluation assessed the ways in which mental health issues were identified in juvenile justice residential placements.
Abstract
The results indicated that minority youth were overrepresented in residential placement and many of the youth with mental health problems prior to residential placement lived in impoverished conditions, had substance abuse issues, and were from single parent households. Youths in residential placement who had mental health problems received psychotropic medication monitoring while in placement, although prior to placement, these youths had contacts with the social services network, the juvenile justice system, and the mental health system. The evaluation revealed that the identification of mental health issues in adjudicated youth did not occur at intake or during residential placement and that youths with previously identified mental health issues did not receive treatment other than psychotropic medication monitoring. Moreover, follow-up care for those leaving residential placement did not include mental health care. The findings underscore the need for more systematic mental health screening and the use of standardized assessment tools for youths placed in residential settings. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to examine long-term outcomes. Participants were 381 young males between the ages of 12 and 17 years in juvenile justice residential placements during 1997 and a demographically matched sample of 458 young males in juvenile justice residential placement in October 2000. The evaluation employed multiple methods and 3 phases: (1) for adjudicated youths in residential placement in 1997, data were drawn from information collected at baseline, termination from the program, 3 months following discharge, and 12 months following discharge; (2) for 24 adjudicated youth with mental health problems identified at admission to residential placement, data were drawn from case records of mental health service histories; and (3) for all adjudicated youths in juvenile justice placements in October 2000, survey data were collected concerning their mental health experiences and protective factors. Data were analyzed using chi-square and t-tests. Tables, references, notes