English

ERIC ED453465: Handle with Care: Serving the Mental Health Needs of Young Offenders. Enclosed: Coalition for Juvenile Justice 2000 Annual Report. The Sixteenth Annual Report to the President, the Congress, and the Administrator of the Offic

At some point, one out of every five children will need help containing and managing strong emotions or severe stress. Problems multiply when these youth break the law. Too often children with mental health problems are locked away instead of receiving appropriate treatment. An estimated 50-75% of youth in detention facilities suffer from mental health problems and without treatment, they are likely to become more vulnerable, more volatile, and more dangerous to themselves and others. This annual report of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice illustrates findings from a year-long investigation into the scope of mental health concerns and services in the juvenile justice system. It explains systematic shortcomings and a lack of effective, integrated mental health assessment and treatment services. The report explains why parents may be forced to surrender their children to the juvenile courts because they cannot receive assistance. It reveals how poverty, race, gender, and sexual orientation may block young offenders from accessing services. Treatment methods that focus on rebuilding a child's family structure along with providing the child with intensive therapy have reduced recidivis

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