Essay on Mental Issues Among the Youths in the Juvenile System

Introduction

Mental health complications are common among youths in the criminal justice system. Various assessments indicate that more than 70% of the youths have a diagnosable mental health issue at some juvenile justice institutions (Wasserman et al., 2003). This is compatible with other research that shows the overrepresentation of youths with behavioral/mental health issues within the juvenile system. However, this varies with the different stages youths are subjected to in the system. In a countrywide study, the occurrence of diagnosed issues increased the more the youths were exposed to the justice system. Even though there appears to be an increase in the number of youths facing mental health issues in the justice system, the correlation between their involvement and mental health issues is complex. It is hard to separate casual from correlational relationships when considering the two variables.

The literature will concentrate on the types of disorder that are common among the youth in the juvenile justice system, the reason youths with mental health and substance use issues end up within the system, the scope of the problem, the effect of mental health issues on juvenile justice and solutions to solving the identified problems. According to the Health and Human Service Department, mental health entails an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being and impacts how one acts, thinks, and feels (Keyes & Magyar-Moe, 2003). Mental disorders are problems or difficulties one may go through with their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Every mental disorder is considered a clinically psychological or behavioral pattern or syndrome that happens to an individual and is correlated to present distress, disability, or a significant risk of death, pain, or loss of freedom.

Types of Common Disorders

Youths in the juvenile system are known to experience increased rates in disruptive disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and oppositional defiant disorder. The chances that youth will experience a significant disorder increases if they experience substance abuse disorder. Females are much likely to undergo disorders correlated to depression and anxiety and to have an increase in concurrent disorders. Most of the youth within the juvenile justice systems have experienced trauma as a result of family and community violence. Such youth are at an increased risk of substance use and mental disorders.

The youths are mostly diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or attention deficit disorder. Methods of treating the youths will be discussed later in the literature. Research estimates show that 70 to 90 percent of those entering the juvenile justice system every year have an increased risk of suicide, and this is further aggravated by those with mental issues or substance abuse disorders (Ford et al., 2012). Youths in juvenile facilities have almost tripled the suicide rate of those on the outside, and suicide is considered the leading cause of death in the juvenile system.

Reasons Youth Experience Mental Health Issues.

Most of the youth with disorders fail to get treatment due to the unavailability of mental health services within the community. This can lead to disruptive behaviors resulting in arrests and sometimes imprisonment in a juvenile facility, even though most of them are usually charged with minor offenses. Even if correction therapy is available within the community, groups usually experience difficulties getting care since their insurance policies are not enough, and it is not always clear if the sources of public funding will cover the services. Many juvenile justice and mental health systems fail to integrate effectively to mitigate mental and substance abuse disorders among the youth (Howell et al., 2004). Effective strategies indicate the models should integrate with child welfare, education, and substance abuse treatment agencies to get the needed results.

Improved coordination can assist in identifying those with mental health requirements in a timely manner to mitigate their arrest and subsequent admission into the justice system, make it easy to get back to the community if they have already gained admission to the system, and help them to secure funds to get mental health services. When youth with substance use and mental issues are recognized early, it becomes easy to get the necessary treatment needed to avoid readmission into the system. Not all the intake juvenile justice staff assess youth for substance use and mental disorders. School staff and law enforcement do not have the training to recognize disorders among the youth even though they happen to be the first respondents to situations involving them (Skowyra & Cocozza, 2006). Training the professionals to recognize and understand the symptoms, deal with situations, and providing the necessary treatment can significantly help mitigate the number of youth apprehended and admitted to the juvenile.

Scope of the Problem

Various studies confirm that a large population of youths within the juvenile justice system is suffering from mental health disorders. Research indicates that most of the youth in apprehension or correctional environments have at least a single diagnosable issue compared to the 22% of the entire youth population. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated that more than 10% of teenagers experienced a significant depressive experience in 2013, even though the survey failed to show an overall assessment of mental issues among teenagers.

Systematic reviews indicate that youths had a 10% increased chance of suffering from psychosis in correctional and detention facilities than those in the general population. The diagnoses mostly entail behavior disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance use disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The occurrence of each diagnosis, though, varies considerably among those in the juvenile justice system. The Pathways to Desistance assessment, which sampled more than 1,300 youths who had engaged in severe offenses for five years after their sentences showed that the most common mental health issue was substance use disorder which was 76%, high anxiety was at 33%, ADHD was at 14% (Steinberg et al., 2015). Depression at 12%, post-traumatic stress disorder at 12%, and mania at 7% across the justice system. Another study across the justice environment realized that more than 50% of the youths were suffering from psychiatric disorders. Particularly, 34% were suffering from substance use disorder.

Those suffering from disruptive behavior disorders accounted for 30%, 20% suffered from an anxiety disorder, and 9% met the benchmarks for affective disorder. Many of them are also suffering from multiple disorders. The Pathways Desistance research realized that 38% of youths were suffering from a single mental health problem. Also, the Northwestern Juvenile Project studied more than 1,800 youths who were apprehended and restrained in Cook County. The research showed that 57% of females and 46% of males had two or more mental disorders. The assessment focused on youths who have been in contact with the criminal justice system, including detention centers, community-based programs, and secure residential installations in Louisiana.

Effect of Mental Health Issues on Juvenile Justice Involvement

To best serve these youths, a comprehension of the behavioral, cultural, and educational problems correlated to the detainees is required. For example, studies show that linguistically and culturally distinct juveniles are undertreated and overrepresented in correctional centers. Additionally, behavioral problems vary by ethnicity and gender, indicating culturally competent methods to treatment are required.

Ethnic variations that correlate to mental issues show that non-Caucasian teenagers tend to get arrested frequently though they do not get a lot of referrals on mental health therapy (McCulloch, 2005). For instance, African American youth are more likely than Caucasian youth to get apprehended and six times more likely to be confined in a protected environment. Information indicates that youths of color are more likely than Caucasians to receive serious sanctions as a form of punishment.

Overrepresentation of ethnically and racially distinct youth in the justice system and underrepresentation in therapy referrals are severe problems that need further research and action. Acknowledging that prevalence symptoms and rates of disorders vary in relation to ethnicity, it seems necessary for service providers to personalize mental health therapy strategies to appropriately cater for all detainees in the justice settings without considering gender, sexual preferences, or gender.

Studies indicate that Caucasians are more likely to get mental health services compared to Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, and Hispanics. Studies investigated the impacts of cultural aspects to learn more on the supposed underutilization of mental health services among minorities. They realized various factors that affect decisions on whether to get services like cost, stigma, inaccessibility of services, and lack of trust towards mental health professionals. The findings are significant since the lack of proper diagnosis, or mental health services is constantly seen as a supporting factor to the lack of therapy in juvenile justice systems.

Correction personnel and clinicians need to understand cultural differences; staff training may increase their understanding in identifying youths with mental issues and referrals (Penn & Thomas, 2005). Additionally, increasing cultural differences awareness and dealing with family concerns on stigma and the causes of mistrust towards mental health professionals may aggravate the chances of juveniles suffering from mental health issues to gain access and make use of the relevant treatment methods. In relation to mitigation, addressing cultural anxieties in learning institutions and communities may mitigate the number of youth getting admitted into the justice system due to behaviors linked to mental health issues.

The Education Department lists the occurrence of emotional and behavioral disorders among the youth in juvenile systems as six times more than in public schools. Juveniles with emotional and behavioral disorders in secure facilities often go through difficulties when detainees since they lack the necessary social and cognitive skills. An example is that the youth with disabilities were subject to increased behavioral incident reports, would get restrained on several occasions, and spent a lot of their time in segregation and confinement compared to those with no disabilities.

Juvenile offenders with behavioral problems that are left untreated encounter many difficulties in public schools once they are released from the detention centers (Altschuler & Brash, 2004). For example, problem behaviors like increased delinquency and aggression increased the likelihood of them dropping out of school. Additional studies indicate that dropping out of school increases the chances of getting involved with the juvenile system and probably ending up in adult prisons. This indicates that if behavioral problems are not tackled and treated when they are in the juvenile justice system, recidivism is likely to happen.

Solutions

Some treatment approaches and programs for youths involved with the justice system, especially those enrolled in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), have indicated positive results. CBT is developed to assist youths in changing their behaviors and thinking, especially those that relate to crime, delinquency, and violence. These programs have been effective in mitigating the rate of recidivism. Studies on other program models that target youths with mental health requirements, like mental health diversion programs, have shown improved outcomes. These are examples of programs that have indicated positive results for youths with certain mental health issues.

Functional family therapy is an intervention and prevention initiative for youths aged between 11-18. It concentrates on high-risk youths and serves to mitigate risk issues and encourage protective attributes that directly impact youths with an increased risk of violence, behavioral problems, delinquency, and substance abuse. FFT is done between 8 am to 12 pm. For mild cases, the sessions last an hour, and it can include up to 40 sessions of service for families in more complicated situations. Sessions take up to three months and can be done in clinical environments as outpatient therapy or a home-based plan. In a single large-scale research performed by community-based personnel, it was discovered that when youths adhered to the FFT strategies, there was a significant decline in crimes. It also had a positive impact on youths in relation to mitigating risk behavior, improving strengths, and functioning within society.

Multisystemic Therapy is meant to assist those aged between 12 to 17 who have shown severe clinical issues like drug abuse, violence, or severe criminal traits (Littell et al., 2005). Through intensive family participation, MST seeks to analyze the origins of behavioral issues and change their environment to promote prosocial traits while mitigating delinquent behavior. MST basically applies a home-based strategy in service delivery to mitigate hindrances that prevent families from getting services. The treatment can take up to four months even though there is no fixed amount of time since various therapy meetings happen every week. In a single MST assessment, it was found that at 60 weeks of post-referral, the group that went through the program recorded less than half the number of recidivism than other groups that received normal treatment. Another research indicated major differences between the comparison and treatment population segments four years after their probation. 71% of the individual treatment comparison populations segment were rearrested at least once compared to 25% of those who took part in MST programs.

County Community Partnerships offer services in which the youth with severe emotional issues can access individualized, community-based, and culturally competent services that include the youth’s family in strategizing and delivering treatment (Klayman & Crawford, 2007). Generally, the objective of this collaborative initiative is to mitigate the youth’s involvement with the justice system. This entails mitigating the chances of recidivism and the severeness of offenses once they have been committed. The County Community is a collaborative initiative that works within the idea of a system of care. An assessment of the County Community Partnerships indicated a significant reduction in engagement with the juvenile system among youths.

The Special Needs Diversionary program offers intensive treatment and supervision of juveniles aged between 10-17 who show mental health issues and low levels of conduct (Belenko & Logan, 2003). The program’s purpose is to rehabilitate youths and mitigate them from getting involved with the justice system. It offers mental health services like individual and group therapy, probation services like mentoring, life skills, and anger management, and parental training and support. Specialized professional mental health and probation personnel from the local mental health agencies collaborate to integrate intensive case-management services. The initiative utilizes procedures that rely on family therapy, skills training, and rehabilitation services.

Conclusion

To conclude, mental health complications are common among youths in the criminal justice system. Various assessments indicate that more than 70% of the youths have a diagnosable mental health issue at some juvenile justice institutions. This is compatible with other research that shows the overrepresentation of youths with behavioral/mental health issues within the juvenile system. However, this varies with the different stages youths are subjected to in the system. According to the Health and Human Services Deparment, mental health entails an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being and impacts how one acts, thinks, and feels. Mental disorders are problems or difficulties one may go through with their emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Youths in the juvenile system are known to experience increased rates in disruptive disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and oppositional defiant disorder. The chances that youth will experience a significant disorder increases if they experience substance abuse disorder.

Most of the youth with disorders fail to get treatment due to the unavailability of mental health services within the community. This can lead to disruptive behaviors resulting in arrests and sometimes imprisonment in a juvenile facility, even though most of them are usually charged with minor offenses. Youths in juvenile facilities have almost tripled the suicide rate of those on the outside, and suicide is considered the leading cause of death in the juvenile system. Various studies confirm that a large population of youths within the juvenile justice system is diagnosed with mental health disorders. Research indicates that two-thirds of the youth in apprehension or correctional environments have at least a single diagnosable issue compared to the 22% of the entire youth population. To best serve these youths, a comprehension of the behavioral, cultural, and educational problems correlated to the detainees is required. For example, studies show that linguistically and culturally distinct juveniles are undertreated and overrepresented in correctional centers. Additionally, behavioral problems vary by ethnicity and gender, indicating culturally competent methods to treatment are required.

Some treatment approaches and programs for youths involved with the justice system, especially those enrolled in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), have indicated positive results. CBT is developed to assist youths in changing their behaviors and thinking, especially those that relate to crime, delinquency, and violence. These programs have been effective in mitigating the rate of recidivism. Studies on other program models that target youths with mental health requirements, like mental health diversion programs, have shown improved outcomes. These are examples of programs that have indicated positive results for youths with certain mental health issues.

References

Altschuler, D. M., & Brash, R. (2004). Adolescent and teenage offenders confronting the challenges and opportunities of reentry. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 2(1), 72-87.

Belenko, S., & Logan, T. K. (2003). Delivering more effective treatment to adolescents: Improving the juvenile drug court model. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 25(3), 189-211.

Ford, J. D., Chapman, J., Connor, D. F., & Cruise, K. R. (2012). Complex trauma and aggression in secure juvenile justice settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(6), 694-724.

Howell, J. C., Kelly, M. R., Palmer, J., & Mangum, R. L. (2004). Integrating child welfare, juvenile justice, and other agencies in a continuum of services. Child Welfare, 83(2), 143.

Keyes, C. L., & Magyar-Moe, J. L. (2003). The measurement and utility of adult subjective well- being.

Klayman, D., & Crawford, J. (2007). Community Kids Wraparound Mental Health Program: An Effective Approach to Working with Families in Crisis. Journal of Applied Social Science, 1(2), 77-99.

Littell, J. H., Popa, M., & Forsythe, B. (2005). Multisystemic therapy for social, emotional, and behavioral problems in youth aged 10–17. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 1(1), 1-63.

McCulloch, A. (2005). Psychopathological correlates of risk for adolescents in secure treatment (Doctoral dissertation, Lethbridge, Alta.: University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2005).

Penn, J. V., & Thomas, C. (2005). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of youth in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(10), 1085-1098.

Steinberg, L. D., Cauffman, E., & Monahan, K. (2015). Psychosocial maturity and desistance from crime in a sample of serious juvenile offenders. Laurel, MD: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Skowyra, K., & Cocozza, J. J. (2006). A blueprint for change: Improving the system response to youth with mental health needs involved with the juvenile justice system. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.

Wasserman, G. A., Jensen, P. S., Ko, S. J., Cocozza, J., Trupin, E., Angold, A., … & Grisso, T. (2003). Mental health assessments in juvenile justice: report on the consensus conference. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(7), 752-761.