Mental Health And The Juvenile Justice System - 3436 Words

Introduction The number of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is one of the most pressing problems facing law enforcement and corrections today (Cuellar, McReynolds, Wasserman, 2006). The Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health estimated that about 20% of children and adolescents in the general population have mental disorders with some degree of at least mild functional impairment (USPH, 1999). Subsequent research has found much higher rates of serious mental health problems among youth in the juvenile justice system. Among youth who have been arrested, one study found that 31% of youth had received services from the mental health system (Rosenblatt, Rosenblatt, Biggs, 2000). Two studies of youth in juvenile detention found that between 60% and 68% met the diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder (Teplin, Abram, McClelland, Dulcan, Mericle, 2002; Wasserman, Ko, McReynolds, 2004). Once youth with emotional disturbances enter the justice system, repe ated arrests are common through the remainder of childhood and into adulthood. Recidivism rates for individuals with a serious mental illness are nearly double those in the general population (Baillargeon, Binswanger, Penn, Williams, Murray, 2009; Constantine, Petrila, Andel, Givens, Becker et al., 2010). In an analysis of juvenile trajectories, youth with emotional disturbances in their late adolescent years were more likely to fall into the high arrest trajectory class and muchShow MoreRelatedThe Juvenile Justice System1313 Words   |  6 Pages Today s concept of the juvenile justice system is relatively new due to significant modifications in policy overtime. The justice system has been trying to figure out effective ways to treat juvenile criminal offenders successfully for years. The justice system did not always have a special category for juveniles and their crime. Juveniles was once treated as adults when they committed crimes and were subjected to harsh punishments. T he juvenile court was the culmination of efforts of the positivistRead MoreJust Mercy Essays : Juveniles Being Tried As Adults1407 Words   |  6 PagesIn Contrast to Bryan Stevenson’s â€Å"Just Mercy† stories of juveniles being tried as adults, Jason Zeidenberg in the article â€Å"The Risks Juveniles Face When They Are Incarcerated with Adults† strongly emphasizes the dangers and consequences that juveniles face when they are tried as adults. Zeidenberg states the consequences of juveniles being raped, assaulted, committing suicide and the effects of being victimized. Children who are housed in the same facility as Adults is not a good idea nor a goodRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is The Highest Rate Of Incarceration Rates Among African American Males1339 Words   |  6 Pagescriminal behavior, which is variously defined by different legal systems. Juvenile Delinquency is prominent in inner city communities- vastly lower income poverty shook areas. Background Juvenile Delinquents are being incarcerated at earlier ages as time progresses. The term delinquent speaks of two or more youths, typically amongst the ages of ten and seventeen years old, who are involved in doings well-defined as illegal. The study of juvenile delinquents in inner city Chicago have been studied for manyRead MoreGender Differences Within Juvenile Status Offenses1650 Words   |  7 Pages Gender Differences Within Juvenile Status Offenses University of Utah Rachel Brough Juvenile status offenses are minor offenses that only apply to those under the age of 18 such as skipping school or running away from home. Other examples include curfew violations, possession and consumption of alcohol, and possession and use of tobacco. Theories such as the labeling theory and Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory attempt to explain why females commit juvenile status offenses. Additional theoriesRead MoreIf I Ran Zoo By Dr. Seuss885 Words   |  4 Pagesindividuals to think about what they would do to change the zoo, if they were given the power to do so. Throughout the semester I learned many contradictions about the Juvenile court system. Not only the contradictions but also the seeing lives of adolescents in the film of â€Å"This is their Normal,† â€Å"Juvies† and the film about the two girls in Juvenile prison. It has shown the difficulties of what the adolescents face when they tell their stories about how they end in prison, issues with their families, andRead MorePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder930 Words   |  4 PagesHoge, 2013). Trauma comes in many different forms, however some of the most common forms of trauma that juvenile offenders will experience are loss and bereavement, domestic violence, emotional abuse, and physical abuse. Trauma exposure for youth involved in the justice system can begin at a young age, with one study showing that up to one-third of youth in the justice system experienced trauma before one year of age (Dierkhising, Ko, Woods-Jaeger, Briggs, Lee, Pynoos, 2013). Trauma andRead MoreJuvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention Act Of 19741625 Words   |  7 PagesA juvenile or â€Å"youthful inmate† as defined by the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) is any person under the age of eighteen who is under adult-court supervision and incarcerated or detained in a prison or jail. While PREA defines a juvenile as under the age of eighteen the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA) allows the states to set their own definition of a juve nile (Lahey). This discrepancy in the definition of a juvenile has caused problems and slow progressRead MoreChildhood Depression And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder1536 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood Mental Disorders, such as anxiety, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are chronic health conditions that present between birth and age 18.1 Mental disorders are characterized as a â€Å"combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, and behaviors†2 that may impair a child’s functioning in school, at home, and in everyday life. They are caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors i.e. a family history of anxiety and living below the poverty line. CDC estimatesRead MoreJuvenile Justice Systems833 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Juvenile crime is a term around the world that is difficult to pinpoint and although there are several definitions many fail to be concrete. There are many factors that play into sentencing juveniles or minors upon a crime committed. How old are they? Can they mentally form criminal intent? Are they old enough to no longer be treated as children? Some people would argue that a criminal is just that, regardless of age. Research on the other hand shows that juveniles have underdevelopedRead MoreThe Virginia Department Of Juvenile Justice926 Words   |  4 Pagesof 70% of those in local and state juvenile justice systems dealing with their illness in correctional facilities (National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 2016; Shufelt Cocozza, 2006)? These are the national numbers. So what about in our own state of Virginia? The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) conducted a study of juveniles in detention homes in 2002 and that found that more than 40% of males and almos t 60% of females needed mental health services. As many as 7% of the males