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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:16 pm
Time: 12:16 pm
Results for juvenile justice system (california)
1 results foundAuthor: National Center for Youth Law Title: Improving Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System-- A Review of Alameda County’s Collaborative Mental Health Court. Summary: Studies consistently show that up to 65 or 70 percent of youths held in American juvenile detention centers have a diagnosable mental illness. Further, a congressional study concluded that every day approximately 2,000 youths are incarcerated simply because community mental health services are unavailable. In 33 states, juvenile detention centers hold mentally ill youths without charges. A majority of detention centers report holding children aged 12 and under; and 117 centers reported jailing children 10 and under. Although the causes are numerous and complex, a growing consensus among experts holds that many youths are put under court supervision due to behavior that stems from unmet mental health needs and the lack of community-based service options. Indeed, many youths with serious mental health needs are in the juvenile justice system because other service systems failed them, and because they have no place else to go. But juvenile halls and prisons are not therapeutic environments for young people with psychological disorders; the juvenile justice system is ill-equipped to meet the needs of these youths. Investigations by the US Department of Justice have called into question the ability of many juvenile justice facilities to respond adequately to the mental health needs of youths in their care. Tragically, this leads to youths languishing in detention centers without treatment, and with little hope of getting better or returning home. Additionally, juvenile justice administrators — whether they are prosecutors, judges or probation officers — generally are not equipped to meet the needs of seriously disturbed youths, and typically juvenile halls and prisons are not adequately funded to do so. Many administrators now recognize that disturbed young people do not belong in detention because their behavior is the result of their illness, and will not improve with traditional detention methods. One promising response to this crisis has been the creation of juvenile mental health courts (JMHCs). Modeled on problem-solving drug courts, these courts focus on treatment rather than punishment. They use a collaborative approach involving representatives of the juvenile court, probation, the prosecutor and public defender’s offices, and mental health liaisons. The goal is to divert mentally ill youths from detention to more appropriate community-based mental health services by providing intensive case management and supervision, rather than relying upon the usual adversarial process. Such courts increase the likelihood that young people will safely return home, re-engage in school and the community, gain ongoing access to needed home and community-based mental health services and supports, and avoid further involvement with the juvenile justice system. Alameda County established its own Juvenile Mental Health Court, called the Alameda County Juvenile Collaborative Court (ACJC), in 2007. This effort was based on the model pioneered by the first juvenile mental health court opened in Santa Clara County, California in 2001. Like other JMHCs, the ACJC (also referred to in this report as “the Court”) serves youths with serious mental illness who typically end up in long-term out-of-home placements. This report presents the organizational premises of the Court as well as its structure and procedures. It describes the factors that control admission into the Court and the demographics of the youths who participate. The report also reviews what the participants — professional collaborators as well as the youths and their families — have to say about the Court, and compares the Court’s results with its founders’ intent. Finally, the authors recommend improvements and examine the prospects for sustaining the Court at its current service level and expanding it to reach more youths. Details: Oakland, CA: National Center for Youth Law, 2011. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2011 at: http://fosteryouthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Improving-Outcomes-Pub.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://fosteryouthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Improving-Outcomes-Pub.pdf Shelf Number: 121305 Keywords: Juvenile DetentionJuvenile Justice System (California)Juvenile Mental Health CourtsJuvenile OffendersMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |