Running head: Forensic Social Work Research Paper 1
13
Forensic Social Work Research Paper
Research Paper
Emmanuel Olaiya
North Carolina Central University
Dr. Larry D. Williams, PhD,
November. 29, 2016
The correlation of mental health and substance use in adolescence is very problematic. Many believe that the relationship between the two are so strong that it plays a causative role in the development of adolescents. It places adolescents at risk for problems within their families, communities, and as an individual. This disease can be severe enough that it impairs the adolescent 's ability to function as a person. Both mental health and substance abuse are entangled within one another, that it makes it difficult to decipher which condition is causing each symptom. However, several research studies concluded that adolescents who suffer from mental illness may self-medicate their symptoms by using drugs. The juvenile justice systems suffer from adolescents with mental health disorders, substance abuse or even both.
A difficult challenge to the juvenile justice system and child welfare system is working with adolescents with comorbid difficulties, causing these adolescents to becoming at risk for incarceration and involvement with the juvenile and adult justice system. The juvenile justice system appears to be having a challenging time in determining how to respond and treat adolescents with mental health and substance use. "Many
2. The characteristics and backgrounds of the people served by this program are diverse populations, underserved, at-risk adolescents and delinquent juveniles between the ages of 11 and 18 including their families. These individuals lacked resources, were a challenge to help, and appeared unmotivated to change. A common factor these underserved populations held together were upon entrance to social services individuals expressed emotions of anger, hopelessness, and resistance to treatment.
For offenders with mental health impairment, TJJD’s institutional facilities are staffed with mental health professionals in order to provide services that meet the needs of each juveniles. For those diagnosed with severe mental health issues they are most likely placed in Corsicana Residential Treatment Program. The immediate goal is to treat the youth’s mental health impairment. Once this is accomplished the focus of treatment is on changing the delinquent and criminal patterns within the juvenile’s behavior. The final goal within treatment concerns reintegrating youth with his or her family. Unfortunately handling juveniles with mental health problems pose a particularly difficult problem for TJJD. However, according to TJJD the specialized
Juvenile justice settings, especially in Texas, were not designed as sites for comprehensive psychological and psychiatric treatment of adolescents’ mental disorders. On national, state, and local levels there has been a major increase in the interest of mental health needs within the juvenile justice system. Evidence-based research and data has become more available with societies interest into this matter. A continuous struggle with Texas policymakers and officials is identifying and properly treating mentally ill juveniles and keeping them out of the justice system. Acknowledging established data and comparing it to current Texas mandates helps seek recommendations for improvement within all levels and jurisdictions of the Texas juvenile justice system.
Adolescence is a critical time of development. During this period there are significant changes in brain development, emotions, cognition, behavior, and personal relationships. It is during this time that most major mental health disorders appear, many of which carry over into adulthood. Behavior patterns such as substance abuse also often develop during this time and may continue throughout adulthood. Many adolescents struggling with mental health issues begin to exhibit symptoms such as acting out at home or in school, showing a decreased interest in activities that they previously enjoyed, or bringing home poor grades. Others ultimately are charged with offenses ranging from status
At national, state, and local levels, there is increasing recognition of the importance of identifying and responding to the mental health needs of youths in the juvenile justice system, as policymakers and practitioners struggle to find ways to address causes and correlates of juvenile crime and delinquency. The proposed guidelines for mental health assessment provide explicit information about how, why, and when to obtain mental health information on justice youths at each important juncture in processing.
Imagining juvenile delinquents as our own younger siblings, or possibly our own children gone astray will help us to make the strong conclusions engaged in treating juvenile delinquents. As school students, we are the next generation of voters, legislators, and public leaders. In alignment for us to make the best conclusions for troubled adolescents we must be acquainted of the numerous ways we can go about handling juvenile delinquents. Each method of treatment is quite perplexed so we must take care to realize the issues to the fullest possible span. To double-check that juvenile delinquents are being treated fairly, we must make our conclusions with as much concern for their well-being as we can, as well as keeping in mind the best concerns of humanity. As voters, we can start to form policies in the ways we see fit for battling juvenile offenses and aggression. Perhaps some of our own preferred procedures for treating young kids are echoed in the current outlooks of the public in the direction of
Research has revealed that there is an overwhelming need from families, schools, communities, and law enforcement to given attention to training, programs and solutions that effectively respond to juveniles that experience mental and behavioral health disorders. In this guide, information was provided on the various issues related to police encounters with youth that face mental and behavioral health disorders. It has addressed the issues that continue to arise from the growing school-to-prison pipeline, the increased use of SRO’s and has briefly highlighted the impact of sending our nation’s youth to juvenile detention facilities.
The juvenile justice system faces a significant challenge in identifying and responding to the psychiatric disorders of detained youth because research has shown that it is difficult to define the best means to use and enhance the scarce mental health resources (Kessler & Kraus, 2007). According to Cocozza and Skowyra (2000) “Children’s and adolescents’ mental health needs have historically been addressed inadequately in policy, practice, and research and have only the number of youth with mental illness and their level of unmet needs recognized” (p 4). Furthermore, that the juvenile justice system has gone from treatment and rehabilitation to retribution and punishment, that the prevalence is
It also supported a program known as Shared Youth Vision. Included are youngster facts, funding information, and drive to remedy you assess community assets, procreate maps of local and federal means, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest, youth-narrated news. While much of the scrutiny indicates that parents are the first impregnate of defense in identifying and frustrate delinquent behavior, parents tend to look to government agencies to created correct delinquency prohibition programs. When the needment back and services are if to assist adolescent in the six life domains, it is expectation that absolute outcomes will terminate.6.
Two issues that are related to juvenile delinquency are substance abuse and mental health issues. The Juvenile Justice System is contantly being reevaluated for reform. The desensitization of today’s youth to drugs and violence can lead to them trying drugs for the first time at younger ages. Soceity is also seeing an increase in young people with mental health issues today than ever before. My wife worked in a local residential treatment facility for at-risk youth for several years. Substance abuse and mental health issues were recurring themes with the youth who entered that facility. The treatment began with the individual and where possible included the family.
How the youth justice system deals with young offenders who suffer from mental illness has changed over the years, starting from 2011 when the first mental health court for young offenders was established in Toronto. Although youth mental health has existed in juvenile detention centres for decades, only recently has the youth justice system made changes to help with better handling of these special cases. A new specialty court was recently introduced into our youth justice system. This new court system was designed to help address the needs of youth in the justice system who present mental health issues, and also with the goal to deter any youth from
In addition, chronic drug abuse by teenagers during a time of development it is a particular concern because, it can interfere with normal socialization and cognitive development and thus frequently contributes to the development of mental disorders. Violence has become more prevalent among the diagnosed population of drugs and mental disorders. Domestic violence and suicide attempts are more common of the mentally ill who end up incarcerated; there is
Over the years, the juvenile justice system has seen an increase of juvenile delinquents with mental health concerns. There have been researches on the efficiency of numerous treatment and intervention curriculums/methods with varied success. The juvenile justice system is currently challenge with the efforts of arranging mental health evaluations and treatments amenities for the youth. This research paper will talk about the juvenile offenders who are mentally ill. Also, it will address the treatments or programs that are offered to the juvenile defendants that suffer from mental health conditions.
These factors have significant consequences on our society in general. Particularly on our incarceration rates of both juvenile and adults, the enormous cost of incarcerating individuals, the loss of taxpayers and family members, and the overtaxing of a system that cannot treat the large amount of children. The juvenile system differs from the adult system; they focus on the treatment of the child in hopes to repair the issues that have caused the delinquency. As we have seen in other
Juveniles in the justice system is an issue relevant not only to people in the criminal justice system but to society in general. There have been a number of studies done that link serious behavior problems in children to adult criminal conduct. In more recent years, there has been more research done regarding the causes and prevention of juvenile delinquency. The Department of Juvenile Justice lists 3 broad categories with many subcategories to help us understand what contributes to juvenile delinquency (CITE). These categories are listed as Individual, social, and community factors. Similarly, Dr. Alida V. Merlo, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania states that in recent history, the juvenile justice system has moved from a more punitive approach to juvenile justice to more prevention and treatment oriented approach. (CITE). This is a necessary change because as research begins to identify risk factors that may lead a child into the juvenile justice system, it is important to treat the juvenile accordingly. We would not treat a delinquent minor that has been a victim of maltreatment or abuse the same way we treat a child that has outside influences in the community that played a role in their delinquency.