Mental Health Issues in Juvenile Justice Residential Placements: A Multi-Method Agency Evaluation

ABSTRACT This evaluation study uses multiple methods to examine ways mental health issues are identified in juvenile justice residential placements. The study addresses essential characteristics of young males identified with mental health problems and differences between young people identified with mental health problems and the general residential population in a large, multi-site, nonprofit agency. The evaluation found that young males identified with mental health problems had several contacts with the social service network, the juvenile justice system and the mental health system before placement in the juvenile justice residential care setting. The evaluation raises concerns about identification mechanisms used to determine if residents have mental health problems, the responsiveness of residential program models, the need for post-residential community-based support, the importance of training residential staff, and the integration of mental health professionals into the intervention team.