Introduction

Abstract

This handbook offers insights and guidance illuminating the many points at which the practice of mental health and the juvenile justice system intersect today. It comes at a promising time. Juvenile justice officials increasingly understand the critical role that mental health services play in rehabilitating the youth in their care. At the same time, juvenile justice reformers seek ways to connect youth to the behavioral health services they need without having courts become the primary means for youth to access care. Budget pressures are forcing states to be more careful about how they spend their juvenile justice funds, and communities are searching for ways to keep youth in programs closer to home rather than relying on expensive, sometimes less effective out-of-home placements for youth far from their families and other supports. Mental health care providers play critical roles in these public policy dialogues, while also fulfilling essential evaluation and treatment functions in the community, through the courts, and in locked settings. The authors brought together in this publication have produced rich resources that can inform both policy and practice.