Mental Health Services Are Vital Tools in Juvenile Justice

An extremely influential issue that needs to be addressed by juvenile justice authorities is mental health. Many adolescents that enter the system suffer from emotional and psychological disorders as a result of abuse, drug usage, and other unfortunate events. According to data from the 2003 Survey of Youth in Residential Placement, 71 percent of committed youths reported having more than one type of problem. The majority of committed youths indicated some degree of anger problem (81 percent), and most also expressed anxiety (61 percent) or depression (59 percent). In addition to these problems, one in six youths reported having hallucinations, one in four said they had suicidal feelings or ideas, and one in five said they attempted suicide at least once in their life (Sickmund, 2005). Similar surveys for adolescents in the general population result in much lower statistics.

Obviously there is a stronger prevalence of mental problems in juvenile offenders. Are these juveniles getting the treatment they need while they are committed in facilities? Many experts and advocates say that they absolutely are not getting what they need. Too many adolescents with moderate to serious disorders are just getting pushed through facilities and many departments responsible for juvenile offenders are only putting minimal effort into helping these kids. Recent research suggests the need for more intense collaboration between mental health professionals and the juvenile justice system to better address the placement and programming needs of these juveniles (Escarcega, 2004).

The widespread closing of children's psychiatric hospitals has made things even worse (Belser & Cannon, 2004). Many facilities for juvenile offenders do not have the resources to treat and help juveniles with mental problems and it is very necessary to develop some sort of link between the facility and mental health services. Outpatient programs provided by contracted agencies have proved to be a viable solution in many states. These programs can provide services for the less severe mental health cases and also for aftercare for those juveniles who have had to receive inpatient mental health care. The facilities themselves aren't the only problem with getting juveniles the services they need. Insurance costs of mental health are skyrocketing and if the child is not covered my some sort of insurance it may prove difficult to get the exact treatment that would be most beneficial. If these mental health problems are not addressed, the adolescent is likely to continue to act out as a result of disorders they suffer from. Some juveniles may not only be an immediate danger to themselves but also to others around them.