Law Enforcement-Based Diversion: Helping Youth at a Critical Stage
Jun 28, 2010, Kathy Skowyra, Associate Director, Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network
Young people in the juvenile justice system are experiencing mental health disorders at a rate that is three times that of youth who are not in the system. Studies have shown that the majority of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental disorder, with 70% meeting criteria for a mental disorder, more than 50% meeting criteria for multiple disorders, and nearly 30% experiencing disorders so severe that their ability to function is highly impaired (Shufelt & Cocozza, 2006). With so many of these youth ending up in the system, law enforcement professionals nationwide struggle with the lack of proper training and resources necessary to recognize and divert these young people out of the system. Public schools also struggle with meeting the needs of troubled youth, and often contribute to the issue, funneling thousands of youth into the juvenile justice system with referrals to law enforcement.
“Behavior due to mental health conditions can bring young people into conflict with the law,” noted Lt. Attila C. Dennes of the Douglas County, Colorado Sheriff’s Office. “They still need to be held accountable for their actions. But, if we know a youth has a mental health problem, we have an obligation to try to get the youth the help they need.”
Law enforcement officers are often first responders to calls involving youth with mental health needs. The response by law enforcement, and the immediate decisions that follow about how to handle the case, can have a significant and profound impact on a youth and their family. This initial contact is often the best opportunity to connect a troubled youth to emergency mental health services or for screening and evaluation.
But, law enforcement will only respond appropriately if they are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders among youth and if resources are available to treat youth immediately.
Numerous studies have shown that youth are often unnecessarily referred to the juvenile justice system in a desperate attempt to obtain treatment (NAMI, 1999; General Accounting Office, 2003; Osher and Shufelt, 2006). However, well-documented investigations by the US Department of Justice into the conditions of confinement have consistently revealed the questionable quality and availability of mental health services for youth in facilities (US DOJ, 2005, NY Times, 2010). Given the needs of these youth and the documented inadequacies of their care within the juvenile justice system, there is a growing sentiment that, whenever safe and possible, youth with mental health needs should be diverted to effective community-based treatment (Skowyra & Cocozza, 2006).
Responding to this growing concern is the “Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network,” a part of the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative that focuses on creating positive change for youth with mental health needs who come into contact with the justice system. The initiative’s Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network is working to better respond to the needs of these young people through early identification of youth with mental health needs, diversion from the system where appropriate, and timely access to appropriate treatment
Each site in the Network selected a different intervention point to pilot their diversion programs: Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois and Washington selected schools; Texas selected probation intake; and Colorado, Louisiana and Pennsylvania selected law enforcement.
“Within the adult system, one approach for responding to people with mental illness that has gained real traction across the country is the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model,” said Kathy Skowyra, Associate Director of the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network. “This approach trains police officers on response techniques appropriate for people with mental health problems.”
While law enforcement officers are called to respond to incidences involving both adults and youth, the standard CIT training that is offered to most police officers focuses primarily on response techniques for adults, not adolescents. To address this void, the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network, working in conjunction with the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ), the Colorado Regional Community Policing Institute (CRCPI) and other national experts, expanded the existing CIT strategy by creating a supplemental, 8 hour, seven module training curriculum- Crisis Intervention Teams for Youth (CIT-Y). CIT-Y trains police officers on response techniques appropriate for youth with mental health needs. It is targeted to law enforcement officials who have previously undergone standard CIT training and who understand the basic principles and concepts of CIT, but are looking for more specific information on youth.
“The CIT-Y training curriculum provides essential information to law enforcement officers who are working with youth every day- whether it’s in the schools or on the streets. Having knowledge of adolescent development and mental health gives us an advantage in dealing with youth in crisis situations”, said Sgt. Clifford Gatlin of the Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria, Louisiana.
States are now working to establish partnerships between their existing CIT programs and their local mental health system to ensure that mental health resources are available to law enforcement officers when they have successfully intervened and identified a youth in need of mental health care.
The NCMHJJ presented this curriculum at the 2010 CIT International Conference in San Antonio in early June, and will be working with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, CIT International and other national CIT experts to develop a dissemination strategy for the CIT-Y. The curriculum is expected to be available for broad dissemination this summer.
References
Bosman, J. (2010, February 10). For detained youth, no mental health overseer. New York Times.
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. (1999). Families On the Brink: The Impact of Ignoring Children With Serious Mental Illness. Arlington, VA: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Osher, T., & Shufelt, J. (2006). What Families Think of the Juvenile Justice System: Findings from the OJJDP Multi-State Study. Focal Point: Summer, 2006.
Shufelt, J. & Cocozza, J. (2006). Youth with Mental Health Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System: Results from a Multi-State Prevalence Study. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.
Skowyra, K. & Cocozza, J. (2007). Blueprint for change: A comprehensive model for the identification and treatment of youth with mental health needs in contact with the juvenile justice system. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
United States Department of Justice. (2005). Department of Justice Activities Under The Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act: Fiscal Year 2004. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice.
United States General Accounting Office. (2003). Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: Federal Agencies Could Play a Stronger Role in Helping States Reduce the Number of Children Placed Solely to Obtain Mental Health Services. Washington, D.C.: United States General Accounting Office.
- Issues
-
Evidence-based practices
, Mental health
- Action networks
-
Mental Health / Juvenile Justice Action Network