A Mental Health and Juvenile Justices: Moving Toward More Effective Systems of Care

August 29, 2005 A Mental Health and Juvenile Justices: Moving Toward More Effective Systems of CareInterviews with mental health experts, correctional officials, and parents, along with media reports and congressional investigations, confirm that the juvenile justice system is being used as a system of last resort for many children with mental disorders. The consensus is that these children would be more effectively served in the community, and that mental health services provided by the juvenile justice system are inadequate to meet the need. Available evidence suggests that more than 70 percent of the children in the juvenile justice system have . . .