Abstract
Recent studies have confirmed a high prevalence of youth with diagnosable mental health disorders within the juvenile justice system, as well as the vulnerability of youth in the mental health system who enter the juvenile justice system. This high prevalence of dual system involvement has spawned challenges of collaboration between the mental health and juvenile justice systems to provide needed services to youth and their families. Seventy-two in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 youth and their parents/guardians, mental health professionals from five different community mental health centers, and juvenile justice professionals in urban and rural communities in a Midwest state in the United States. Professionals, youth and parents identified several important factors that facilitated collaboration, as well as a myriad of barriers that needed to be overcome. Findings suggest ways to improve partnerships between the two systems and the development of supportive policies and procedures.
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Kapp, S.A., Petr, C.G., Robbins, M.L. et al. Collaboration Between Community Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Systems: Barriers and Facilitators. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 30, 505–517 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0300-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0300-x