Juvenile Mental Health Screening
Mental health illnesses have long been a concern in the U. S.. While the average taxpaying citizen has the opportunity to seek medical attention, those remanded to incarceration are not so fortunate. It is known, that those within the justice system affected by mental illness often lack the ability to get the necessary help to cope with their ailment, at times going unrecognized for great lengths of time. This lack of medical attention regarding mental illness is even more concerning when it concerns the juvenile/youth offenders dealing with mental illness
From information gathered nationwide, it has been determined that; the areas within the juvenile justice system most in need of further review are: educational programming; addiction treatment; recidivism prevention resources; placement options; and mental health services (Broemmel).
While many might identify each of these concerns as equally important as the next, the focus of this post will primarily be on mental health services and the issues related thereto as they pertain to juveniles within the juvenile justice system.
It has been noted by the U.S. Justice Department, as well as other experts in the field, that in today’s society a considerable number of juveniles are troubled with different types of mental health conditions, disorders, and problems. In addition to these issues, many incarcerated juveniles face the insufficiencies of appropriate and suitable mental health services both within as well as outside detention facilities. For those not detained another issue is presented, the lack of community-based services.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), has indicated that while severe mental disorders were thought to be found among approximately twenty percent of the youth in juvenile justice, results from the latest research have suggested that the figure resides closer to 27 percent (Shufelt & Cocozza, 2006). To better clarify, this number suggests that more than one quarter of all youth in the juvenile justice system are in significant need of mental health treatment.
While many are aware of the unmet mental health needs of youth in the Juvenile Justice System, the U.S. Department of Justice has began developing improved strategies designed to identify and respond to those youth involved. One of these strategies is that of mental health screening.
Mental health awareness within the justice system has been under extreme scrutiny for quite some time. The justice system is currently being challenged to make ‘necessary’ changes. Much research has been done in support of the appropriate changes needed to identify solutions to the issues pertaining to these juvenile mental health awareness insufficiencies. Through such research, it has been determined that the initial response to treating youth affected by mental health issues is to methodically identify each individual’s mental health needs as they become involved with the juvenile justice system. Moreover, it has been identified that to ensure the juvenile’s needs are met, it is of significant importance that mental health screening measures and procedures be implemented and put into practice to identify the mental health needs of youth at their earliest point of contact with the juvenile justice system (Skowyra & Cocozza). In view of the implementation of these practices, today, many juvenile justice agencies and programs throughout the country are routinely performing mental health screening in hopes of identifying such issues upon first interaction.
Conducting such screenings gives medical professionals and correctional staff alike the appropriate information to better supply care and safety, as well as ensure the greatest living conditions for all juveniles they come in contact with. Providing such measures and procedures to identify the juvenile’s conditions, disorders, and/or problems, the appropriate treatment can be implemented, allowing the juvenile to receive any and all treatment necessary to improve his/her mental stability.
Having more mentally stable youth in the system, allows greater opportunity to instill higher ethics, morals, standards, and self-worth. Implemented correctly, these values can further guide youth in the appropriate direction to better themselves, ultimately causing substantial increases in cooperation while in the system and opportunity to succeed upon release. A researcher on the issue, Sarah Hammond, has noted that, “Active partnerships with the mental health community and other child-serving organizations can improve the care and treatment of these young people and prompt healthier results for individuals, families and communities” (Hammond, 2007)
With that said, the issue is not solely ensuring that the juvenile’s mental health needs are met. The screening measures and procedures also are extremely important in identifying the juvenile’s competency. This aspect of the issue addresses those legal concerns surrounding competency while standing trial. For one to best understand the adjudicatory process and to thoughtfully participate in and make decisions as part of that process, the juvenile must be found competent to do so. Establishing competency upon his or her inception can best be conducted through such screening measures and procedures, ensuring that he or she is suitable to stand trial. In the case that he or she is found not to be mentally suitable to stand trial, it will ensure that the juvenile be properly represented throughout his or her trial proceedings (Hammond, 2007).
Juvenile mental health screening has come a great distance since its inception. It has served to be an extraordinary tool in identifying and providing the appropriate care for today’s youth in the juvenile justice system, as well as establish the juvenile’s necessary level of competency to stand trial. The exclusion of such procedures and measures would undoubtedly result in much greater spending on the mere attempt to identify and treat juvenile mental health needs. In addition, the lack of such measures and procedures will unfortunately disregard the juvenile’s mental competency, resulting in an unequal opportunity to a fair trial. Lastly, it’s absence would mandate more staffing and security in the management of such youth, which in turn would result in a greater demand for higher funding, ultimately affecting the taxpaying citizens of society.
The importance of juvenile mental health screening, as previously noted, is not to be taken lightly. Rather it is deemed necessary to provide such measures and procedures with the appropriate funding and support to continue the drive in resolving the issues related to juvenile mental health.
Sources:
Broemmel, M. (2011). Problems with juvenile justice. Retreived from http://www.ehow.com/about_5365215_problems-juvenile-justice.html
Hammond, S. (2007, June). Mental health needs of juvenile offenders. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/pring/cj/mentaljjneeds.pdf
Skowyra, K. R., & Cocozza, J. J. (2007). Mental screening within juvenile justice: the next frontier. Retrieved from
