Youth with Behavioral Health Needs:
How Judges Can Help

Research shows that most youth involved with the juvenile justice system have mental health and substance use needs. The role judges can play in meeting these behavioral health needs is explored in "Judicial Leadership to Address Adolescent Mental Health Needs," an article published in the 2014 edition of Trends in State Courts. Article authors Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio of the Summit County, Ohio, Juvenile Court and Kathleen Skowrya of the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice describe how juvenile court judges are uniquely positioned to lead or support efforts to develop improved policies and service delivery strategies for youth. Trends in State Courts is a publication of the National Center for State Courts.

Complementing this article, a new video posted to the Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change website features Judge Teodosio discussing the importance of judicial leadership in communities seeking to improve their service and system response to youth with behavioral health needs.

Northwestern Juvenile Project Examines Death in Delinquent Youth in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

A new article by researchers on the Northwestern Juvenile Project, published in the July 2014 issue of Pediatrics, found that delinquent youth are at great risk of violent death up to 16 years after detention. The article examines causes of death by gender and race/ethnicity and analyzes risk factors associated with subsequent death. Some key findings:

• Death rates were 2.1 to 9.6 times higher in delinquent youth than in the general population.
• The most common cause of death was homicide with a firearm.
• Compared with non-Hispanic whites, African Americans had 4.5 times the risk of death by homicide.
• Delinquent females died at nearly 5 times the rate of the general population.
• Death rates in Hispanic males and females were 5 and 9 times the rate of the general population, respectively.
• Drug dealing, alcohol use disorder, and gang membership predicted external-cause mortality and homicide for as long as a decade later.

Access to the article will be open through August 31, 2014.

The Northwestern Juvenile Project is the first large-scale longitudinal study of the health needs and outcomes of youth after detention. OJJDP, other federal agencies, and private foundations fund the study.

Resources:

View and download the OJJDP bulletin "The Northwestern Juvenile Project: Overview."

Report Highlights Community-Based Alternatives to Youth Incarceration

The Youth Advocate Programs Policy and Advocacy Center has released "Safely Home." This report highlights cost-effective, community-based alternatives to incarceration for high-needs youth. Some key findings:

• More than 8 of 10 youth remained arrest-free and 9 of 10 were at home after completing their community-based programs.

• Intensive programs based in the community can serve 3 to 4 youth safely for the same cost as incarcerating one child.

The report details elements of effective community-based alternatives, including individualized services, cultural competence, positive youth development, safety and crisis planning, and no reject/no eject policies that promote unconditional caring.

Resources:

View and download the full report.

Front-End Diversion Program Rated "Promising" by CrimeSolutions

The Front-End Diversion Initiative seeks to divert juveniles with mental health needs from adjudication in the juvenile justice system. After assessing the available evidence, the CrimeSolutions.gov team rated FEDI as "Promising" - participants were less likely to face adjudication compared to those who did not participate in the program.

The "Promising" rating means there is some evidence to show the practice had overall positive effects, but the effects were mixed or not large enough for the practice to earn an "Effective" rating.