Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) publishes an op-ed by CJCJ’s Lauren Barretto on the lack of adequate screening for, and evaluation of, mental health needs in the juvenile justice system. Many youth are deemed to have mental disabilities as a result of inadequate screening and the lack of responsive programming. Bipolar disorder diagnoses in particular have increased by 40 times among all youth, outpacing diagnoses among adults, in the last 10 years.
“Every young person who has braved a life of trauma deserves the proper resources for treatment, not Band-Aids to cover the problems, so that they may return to their communities as productive citizens, thereby improving long-term public safety.”