77.2 A Judge's Perspective: What to Know When You Are Treating a Justice-Involved Youth

Abstract

Juvenile mental health courts have been established across the country to take into consideration the unique characteristics of justice-involved youth with mental illness diagnoses and to better prevent recidivism and matriculation into the adult justice system. Juvenile mental health courts attempt to do this by providing judicial oversight of mental health treatment. Mental health treatment is most commonly received in the community setting within existing systems of care. This presentation will describe struggles associated with judicially supervised mental health care for children and families housed in existing community systems and provide recommendations for improved collaborative care of justice-involved youth with mental illness diagnoses.