NCJ Number
242650
Editor(s)
Richard A. Mendel
Date Published
2013
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report examines how one jurisdiction - Bernalillo County, NM - has taken extraordinary steps in addressing juveniles' detention-related mental health challenges.
Abstract
The core challenges are to provide high-quality mental health care for youth entering detention or being placed in detention alternatives and then to ensure that the mental health care continues uninterrupted after youth leave detention supervision. One step taken by Bernalillo County has been to determine Medicaid eligibility for detained youth. A second step was the establishing of a licensed free-standing community mental health clinic adjacent to its detention facility. Now 10 years old, the clinic has provided service to thousands of court-involved youth. Although it is a costly and complex service, the clinic has proven to be an important component in Bernalillo's successes in reducing detention populations and promoting successful outcomes for court-involved youth. Bernalillo's provision of mental health services for court-involved youth is a valuable case study for juvenile justice officials in other jurisdiction that are interested in improving mental health services for youth in their justice systems. This report details the steps in the evolution of the county's mental health strategy, including the development of improved mental health services for detained youth, the pursuit of reforms that ensure the continuity of Medicaid eligibility for detained youth, and the creation, licensing, and initial financing of the mental health clinic. The clinic's description addresses its program and services, clientele, staffing, and financing. The clinic's impact is then examined through a review of the available data, with attention to advancing the goals of detention reform as well as the general reform of the juvenile justice system. Remaining chapters review the lessons learned from Bernalillo's experience with mental health services. 26 notes