Partners for Change

The Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network

The Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network is a Models for Change-supported effort to establish a leadership community at the forefront of mental health and juvenile justice issues. This Network was created to forge and implement innovative solutions for better identifying and treating youth with mental health needs in the juvenile justice system. The Network includes the four states participating in the Models for Change initiative, as well as four new partnering states, selected through a competitive application process. These eight Network states include:

• Connecticut
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Texas
• Washington

The Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network has four primary objectives:

1. Foster the development and exchange of ideas among the Network states;
2. Support and enhance progress in the Network states by providing information, resources and expertise;
3. Develop and implement new solutions and strategies to better identify and treat youth with mental health needs in the juvenile justice system; and
4. Disseminate the learnings across the country.

The anticipated outcomes from the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network include:

1. The creation of a learning network resulting in the accelerated sharing and implementation of effective policies and practices;
2. Concrete improvements within the Network states for the identification and treatment of justice-involved youth with mental health problems;
3. The development and implementation of innovative strategies to address critical mental health and juvenile justice confronting states;
4. The establishment of a leadership community that will shape the nationwide response for addressing the needs of youth with mental health issues in contact with the juvenile justice system.

The Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network is coordinated by the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) at Policy Research Associates. The NCMHJJ is a National Resource Bank Member and is assisting the Models for Change states with their efforts to better address the mental health needs of youth involved with the juvenile justice system. For additional information about the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network, contact the NCMHJJ at ncmhjj@prainc.com

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