A public health — juvenile justice collaboration to address the psychiatric needs of incarcerated youth

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a novel approach to this problem developed in Massachusetts which is based on the overlap between the missions of juvenile justice and public health in preventing violence and reducing substance abuse. Together with an academic department of psychiatry, the juvenile justice and public health agencies in this state have entered into a collaboration to develop an integrated system of psychiatric services in juvenile facilities. Before describing this program, we will present a background discussion on mental illness in juvenile offenders and the services in juvenile facilities. We will also review previous attempts to provide psychiatric services in Massachusetts' facilities and the history of the collaboration leading to the current program. In the final section, we will analyze referral patterns for the program during its first two years and present data on the types of psychiatric disorders found, and how they differed in boys and girls. We also present results on two measures of the program's effectiveness.

Citation

McMackin, R. and Fulwiler, C. (2001), "A public health — juvenile justice collaboration to address the psychiatric needs of incarcerated youth", Hartwell, S.W. and Schutt, R.K. (Ed.) The Organizational Response to Social Problems (Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, Vol. 8), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 335-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-1152(01)80016-8