Mental Health Treatment in Juvenile Correctional Facilities: Utilizing Assessment To Inform Treatment
Youth in juvenile correctional facilities face a wide range of mental health difficulties. Over the years, the juvenile justice system has prioritized the need for providing appropriate and effective treatment services to youth throughout their detainment. Despite these ongoing efforts, treatment practices in juvenile correctional facilities continue to fall short. This study will first focus on assessment practices within these facilities and the impact current practices have on diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of comprehensive evaluations for informing diagnosis and determining the individual treatment needs of detained youth. An integrated approach to assessment will be proposed, and illustrative case examples will be used to depict the value and need for improved assessment practices in juvenile correctional facilities. The relevance of comprehensive mental health evaluations as it relates to meeting the individualized treatment needs of detained youth will be also be discussed.
juvenile delinquency, mental health assessment, treatment, antisocial behavior, conduct disorder, neuropsychological assessment, Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms, Clinical Psychology, Criminology, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Mental Disorders
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