Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings

2. Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings From 1998-2003 Olmsted County had a Juvenile Assessment Center and each child who was picked up for a criminal activity or in violation of his or her probation was screened for mental health and substance abuse problems. 

3. Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings In 2006, Children’s Mental Health and Juvenile Corrections began a dialog and started encouraging staff in both departments to work together on some very complex cases with juvenile offenders who obviously had big mental health problems. 

4. Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings In June 2007, Juvenile Corrections and Children’s Mental Health formalized the plan to work collaboratively to address the unmet mental health needs of those adolescents in the Juvenile Justice system. 

5. Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings Some successes:  • A youth who had a psychotic break and was catatonic in a treatment facility is now being treated intensively at home for schizophrenia, is attending school and remains law abiding. • An undocumented youth from Mexico was able to get Medical Assistance for medications temporarily when his schizophrenia was untreated and he was a danger to himself and others.  He is not currently law abiding, nor medications compliant, but we have more information about what causes his behavior and what can be done to help him when he is picked up.

6. Juvenile Justice Mental Health Screenings Some successes:  • Trust has been established between Juvenile Corrections and Children’s Mental Health so that each department is not afraid of becoming the dumping ground for very difficult cases.  Roles for each are clearly defined with JC handling the legal violations and CMH handling mental health tx. aspects including family work in a case. • JC’s and CMH are starting a DBT group for female adolescents in either service who want to work on getting their emotions more stable and getting their needs met in healthy ways.