Comparison of the Overlap between Juvenile Justice Processing and Behavioral Health Screening, Assessment and Referral

Authors

  • Diana Bowser Brandeis University Author
  • Brandy F. Henry Brandeis University Author
  • Gail A. Wasserman Columbia University Author
  • Danica Knight Texas Christian University Author
  • Sheena Gardner Mississippi State University Author
  • Kate Krupka Columbia University Author
  • Bill Grossi Juvenile Justice Partner, Kentucky Author
  • Margaret Cawood Juvenile Justice Partner, Georgia Author
  • Tisha Wiley National Institute on Drug Abuse Author
  • Angela Robertson Mississippi State University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52935/18.21523.01

Keywords:

Mental Health Disorders, Substance Use, Screening, Assessment, Juvenile Justice Processing

Abstract

Given the large proportion of youth involved in the juvenile justice system who meet criteria for behavioral health disorders, the system is charged with delivering not only criminal justice programing, but also behavioral health services. Behavioral health service delivery is typically done through collaborative partnerships with behavioral health agencies. This study created process maps which describe the flows and boundaries of these partnerships with respect to screening, assessment and referral to treatment. Process maps of juvenile justice and behavioral health systems from six juvenile departments in different states (Mississippi, Kentucky, New York, Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania) are presented. Both the methodology of creating process maps and results from the analysis of the maps are presented. Results indicate that behavioral health screening, assessment, and referral to treatment were occurring at all sites, typically with standardized tools. Overall trends were that juveniles tended to have more screenings, assessments, and referrals to behavioral health services as they moved deeper into the juvenile justice system and were placed into more formal juvenile justice services. Within the analysis of interagency communication, these results were mirrored; settings that were more formal and located deeper into the juvenile justice system had more robust interagency communication.

Author Biographies

  • Diana Bowser, Brandeis University

    Diana Bowser is an Associate Professor at Brandeis University's Heller School. Her research focuses on health system analysis related to health policy and health economics to understand the impact of system changes.

  • Brandy F. Henry, Brandeis University

    Brandy F. Henry is a clinical social worker and doctoral candidate in social policy at the Brandeis University Heller School. She is supported by a training grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (2T32AA007567-24). Her research focuses on the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health policies.

  • Gail A. Wasserman, Columbia University

    Gail Wasserman is a Professor of Medical Psychology in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University. Her long-standing research contributions focus on documenting prevalence of mental health disorder in justice system youth and evaluating systems of service delivery for those needs.

  • Danica Knight, Texas Christian University

    Danica Kalling Knight, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Scientist at Texas Christian University’s Institute of Behavioral Research. Her publications have focused on the importance of social factors for clients in treatment, factors affecting adolescent recovery from substance use, and organizational features associated with service provision, staff turnover, and implementation of new practices.

  • Sheena Gardner, Mississippi State University

    Sheena Gardner is an Assistant Research Professor at Mississippi State University. Her research areas focus on the implementation and evaluation of systems-level change, with a particular emphasis on the juvenile justice system.

  • Kate Krupka, Columbia University

    Kate Krupka received a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. Her research interests include behavioral health service delivery for children and families in child welfare and juvenile justice settings, disproportionate criminal justice contract among LGBT youth, and housing policy.

  • Bill Grossi, Juvenile Justice Partner, Kentucky

    Bill Grossi is an Accreditation Manager with the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. His focus areas include resource development and improving substance abuse service delivery for case managers in facilities, community offices, and detention centers.

  • Margaret Cawood, Juvenile Justice Partner, Georgia

    Margaret Cawood is Deputy Commissioner of Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice Division of Support Services which is responsible for Behavioral Health Services. With her previous experience in child and adolescent community and residential treatment services, her expertise is in the juvenile justice system and treatment services for justice involved youth.

  • Tisha Wiley, National Institute on Drug Abuse

    Tisha Wiley is the Assistant Director for Criminal Justice at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She manages a large portfolio of addiction health services research grants, with a special focus on implementation science and justice settings.

  • Angela Robertson, Mississippi State University

    Angela Robertson, Ph.D., is a Research Professor and the Associate Director of the Social Science Research Center. She is the Principal Investigator of the Mississippi State University Research Center of the NIH-funded JJ-TRIALS Cooperative. Her research interests include behavioral health interventions for offenders and juvenile justice reform.

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Published

01/01/2018

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 1 (2018): JAJJS 2018 Issue

Section

Articles

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How to Cite

Comparison of the Overlap between Juvenile Justice Processing and Behavioral Health Screening, Assessment and Referral. (2018). Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, 32(1), 97-125. https://doi.org/10.52935/18.21523.01

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