Behavioral Health/Juvenile Justice (BH/JJ) Part I

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Behavioral Health/Juvenile Justice (BH/JJ)Part I

• Presented by
• Dr. Mark Singer
• Leonard W. Mayo Professor of Family and Child
  Welfare
• Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
• Case Western Reserve University

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Program Overview

• Target population mentally ill violent
  offending youth between the ages of 12 and 18
• Target sites
• Cuyahoga County
• Lorain County
• Southwest Counties (Hamilton, Butler, Warren,
  Clermont)
• For the period July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2002, 68
  youth were enrolled in the project
• 90 Male 51 Caucasian, 39 African-American, 9
  Hispanic, 1 Biracial Average age16 years

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Charges (N62)

• Total charges 673
• Average number of charges 10.6 (range0-29)
• Greatest number of youth had assault, domestic
  violence, and/or theft charges

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DSM-IV Diagnoses Axis I
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Medications
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Youth IQ
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Ohio Scale Outcomes

• Youth, parent, and worker ratings of youths
  Problem Severity and Functioning improved over
  time
• Parents ratings of satisfaction with their
  relationship with their children improved over
  time
• Youths and parents ratings of satisfaction with
  treatment improved over time

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ODYS Direct Impact

• MH referrals to ODYS from project counties
• 2000 MH referrals- 35
• 2001 MH referrals- 17
• 2002 MH referrals- 15
• Males only
• Through 10/15/02

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Full Psychological Evals. N88

• Youth were highly impulsive
• 74 had made a suicidal threat/gesture/act
• 25 made violent acts on pets/animals
• (e.g. killing, mutilating burning)
• 40 had been noted as firesetters

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Full Psychological Evals. N88

• Compromised intellectual functioning
• 42/88 had I.Q. scores at borderline level or
  below
• About 1 in 4 had provisional diagnosis of
  learning disability

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Full Psychological Evals. N88

• Parents had significant problems
• 55 of fathers noted as abusing alcohol/drugs
• 43 of mothers noted as abusing alc./drugs
• About 1 in 3 fathers and 1 in 5 mothers were
  noted as having been incarcerated or on
  probation.

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Focus Groups Systems Issues
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Discussion