Innovation Brief: Juvenile Justice and Mental Health: A Collaborative Approach
Published Nov 30, 2012, Barbara Chayt, Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators
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No single agency can solve the mental health/juvenile justice crisis. It demands a collaborative model. Three Pennsylvania counties—Allegheny, Chester, and Erie—and a state-level team began tackling this issue in 2004. Through the Comprehensive Systems Change Initiative (CSCI), supported by Models for Change, they have implemented a collaborative model to identify youths with mental health needs at all decision-making points in the juvenile justice process, and to ensure an appropriate response.
This brief is one in a series describing new knowledge and innovations emerging from Models for Change, a multi-state juvenile justice initiative. Models for Change is accelerating movement toward a more effective, fair, and developmentally sound juvenile justice system by creating replicable models that protect community safety, use resources wisely, and improve outcomes for youths. The briefs are intended to inform professionals in juvenile justice and related fields, and to contribute to a new national wave of juvenile justice reform.
