NCJ Number
242881
Date Published
April 2011
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This report, from the National Center for Youth Law, Disability Rights Texas, and Texas Appleseed, discusses alternatives to incarceration for youth with mental illness.
Abstract
This report addresses the problem of finding effective alternatives to incarceration for youth with mental illness. Current research indicates that in Texas, 22 percent of youth under the age of 18 suffer from some sort of mental illness or emotional disturbance and are in need of mental health services. The research also indicates that children with mental illness come into contact with the juvenile justice system at rates significantly higher than children without mental illness. This report examines the problems associated with children with mental illness who become involved with the juvenile justice system, and discusses several alternatives to incarceration that have been implemented in juvenile justice systems around the State of Texas. These programs include System of Care - The Children's Partnership in Travis County; Law Enforcement Intervention - Crisis Intervention Training in Bexar County; and Deferred Prosecution Juvenile Mental Health Court in Travis County. The report also presents a set of recommendations that could be implemented at the community level to reduce the incidence of youth with mental illness being involved with the juvenile justice system. These recommendations include maintaining community health services for children; expanding commitment reduction program funding and expanding the use of pre-adjudication diversion programs for youth with mental illness; closing and consolidating Texas Youth Commission facilities and reinvesting the savings in community-based services; ensuring that remaining facilities provide appropriate access to services for youth with specialized training needs; and incentivizing research-based rehabilitative models.