The Status Quo
For over a decade now, multiple concerns have been raised about the suitability and commitment of rehabilitation facilities to enhance children’s psychological health. A seemingly steady increase in the number of admissions of mentally challenged juveniles also contributes to the need to establish a conducive state of psychological health in the correctional facilities. Substantial blame has befallen the juvenile justice system has for being ill-equipped to provide the right mental health conditions to underage inmates. To establish the degree of reliance on which the juvenile justice system can be held, several studies have been launched to investigate the efficiency of the various interventions vis-à-vis quality of psychological life.
The juvenile justice system admits about 2 million children and underage youth every year, 65 to 70 percent of whom are mentally challenged (Underwood & Washington, 2016). About 1 in 5 have severe problems among the group, which affects how they carry out their daily activities. According to Underwood & Washington (2016), the shortcomings of the system are also evident in the way the detainees have high recidivism rates. Hovey et al. (2017) further observe that the prevalence of psychological disorders is almost double in juvenile detention centers as it is outside. Hovey’s (2017) disturbing revelation thus points to a likelihood that the detention centers serve as mere waiting bays, rather than real reformation centers. According to a study by the Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change, about nine in every ten children undergo hostile events such as sexual and physical abuse, violence or acute illness while in the centers, which ought to be committed to protection (Barnert et al., 2016). The report’s data indicates that females are more predisposed than males, further exposing the center’s frivolity in ensuring proper psychosocial treatment.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Mental health is tightly linked to substance abuse, and most juvenile correctional facilities have programs in place to monitor the prevalence of the two (Bartol & Bartol, 2016). Recently, the adoption of effective screening protocols has bolstered the facilities’ efforts to assess, screen, and ensure treatment for affected youth. For instance, all detention centers in Pennsylvania use the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2 (MAYSI-2) protocol (Underwood & Washington, 2016). Some states have passed laws replacing punitive measures with correctional measures for youth involved in alcohol and substance abuse-related felonies to complement proper screening. By the same token, a 2009 law passed in Tennessee requires that minor convicts be taken through a psychiatric evaluation overseen by the court before determination.
Mental Health Services
Standards of care for both general and mental health in juvenile facilities are defined by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). However, one of the challenges to the psychological health of the juveniles under custody is that just a small proportion of the facilities are accredited by the health watchdog (Sattler, 2017). Therefore, most of the detention and correctional facilities have inadequate staffing and equipment to meet the juveniles’ psychological health needs adequately. In particular, Underwood and Washington (2017) highlight the insufficiency of professional counseling and psychiatry services as the most notable constraints towards achieving a healthy environment for the children and youth in custody. In 2006, it was established that at least 13% of juveniles were accommodated by facilities that could not provide qualified mental health professionals. Of the 87% facilities that had counseling professionals on board, 49% of the juveniles housed could not access the facilities daily, but rather on a scheduled basis (Hovey et al., 2017). Moreover, only 14% of the minors had access to on-call services, which accounts for the long queue juveniles were subjected to access a practitioner (Hovey et al., 2017). On average, the practitioner to patient rate stood at one to fifteen, contrary to one to six, as recommended by NCCHC.
Juvenile Justice Involvement
The relationship between mental health problems and disorderliness is fairly bidirectional and often recursive (Barton & Bartol, 2016). Multiple studies have drawn the links between psychological conditions and problem behaviors, with the outcome recurrently asserting an evident correlation, and a fair degree of causation. The Development Services Group (2017), notes that exposure to violence within the facilities regularly increases behavioral problems, particularly post-traumatic stress and delinquency behavior. Similarly, other psychopathological factors such as aggression, hyperactivity, and obsession compulsive disorders (OCD) serve as reliable predictors of violence. Concerning the duration of detention/confinement as a factor in juveniles’ psychological health, it was established that prolonged stays have often led to more problematic behaviors (National Institute of Justice 2016). Essentially, the institute recommends two years as the most optimal time for detention/confinement, noting that about 53% of criminals who have previously been in correctional facilities stayed over three years, ultimately ruining their conduct.
Disparities in Mental Health Treatment
Several factors contribute to the quality of psychological well-being for the juveniles in correctional and detention facilities. Studies have sought to draw meaningful relationships between mental well-being and socio-economic factors prevailing in the facilities. Essentially, race and ethnicity are the most conspicuous in service provision. Researchers have established that youth of color are more likely to be denied quality access to mental health, medicine, and treatment (Sattler, 2017). They are also less likely to be referred for mental health or substance abuse treatment, as well as treatment for physical violence. Similarly, Black, Hindu, and Hispanic American youth are more likely to send to detention centers than their White counterparts, implying that they are at higher risk of psychological torture while in the correctional facilities. The gender factor also appears significant, given that girls are twice as likely to receive mental health placements, and are twice as less likely to be referred for incarceration than boys (Sattler, 2017). Therefore, it follows that boys are more susceptible to depression, social isolation, anxiety disorders, and, ultimately, suicide. As with age, juveniles under age 14 are more likely to be referred for counseling, and equally, more susceptible to punitive approaches to rehabilitation.
Mitigation Attempts
Over 400 bills have been enacted between 2002 and 2009, aimed at improving the status quo for juveniles in court-ordered rehabilitation facilities. Some notable moves include recommendations limiting the maximum stay period for juvenile felonies to six months (Robertson et al., 2019). Further actions include separation of sexes that are housed within the same facility. On that note, the Oakley Training School was designated male-only. In response to gender disparities, community-based gender-inclusive programs were established in Mississippi, Tennessee, and New Jersey. The applications installed quality assurance standards that address the problem of boys being considered a second priority. Furthermore, state-wide laws have sought to have facilities housing minors be far and separate from adult facilities. Teigen & Bragg (2019) further document that with recently passed bills at the national level, states have to document their progress in addressing ethnic and racial disparities. Additionally, the states are required to establish councils reporting to the National Council of State Legislatures and the Department of Justice on matters of racial and ethnic issues in juvenile correctional facilities.
Conclusion
Poor mental issues in the US juvenile justice system is a disproportionate problem. The rehabilitation centers consistently fall short of St Luke’s core values of responsible stewardship, which demand that shrewd stewards take a personal interest in enhancing the subjects’ emotional, psychological, and clinical conditions. St Luke also advises that good stewards champion for personal development regardless of ethnic and social diversity, which is negligibly adhered to in the juvenile justice system. This paper has made it clear that recent literature on the subject concur that a large proportion of juveniles in correctional and rehabilitation facilities do not receive the right treatment. The maltreatment explains the unbearable emotional and psychological conditions that contribute to the development of deliquescent behavior. Moreover, a significant portion of juveniles undergoes traumatic experiences, especially those with mental disorders. While the current policies, developments, and programs tentatively seek to improve minors’ lives in correctional facilities, I would recommend further review in policy to prohibit the placement of status offenders in detention. Besides, the federal Department of Justice should catalyze efforts to address preferential treatment based on economic, racial, and ethnic statuses.
References
Barnert, E. S., Perry, R., & Morris, R. E. (2016). Juvenile Incarceration and Health. Academic paediatrics , 16(2), 99-109.
Bartol, A. M., & Bartol, C. R. (2016). Sexual Assault of Children and Youth and Other Sexual Offenses in Criminal Behaviour: A Psychological Approach . (9ed.) Boston: Pearson.
Development Services Group, Inc. (2017). Intersection Between Mental Health and the Juvenile Justice System . Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention .
Hovey, K. A., Zolkoski, S. M., & Bullock, L. M. (2017). Mental Health and the Juvenile Justice System: Issues Related to Treatment and Rehabilitation. World Journal of Education , 7(3), 1-13.
National Institute of Justice. (2016). Restrictive Housing in the U.S.: Issues, Challenges, and Future Directions. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National
Robertson, A., Gardner, S., Haynes, S., & Gresham, K. (2019). A Comprehensive Model for Effective Juvenile Justice: Recommendations for Improving the Mississippi Juvenile. Social Science Research Centre. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
Sattler, A. L. (2017). Treating Youths in The Juvenile Justice System. Paediatric Clinics, 64(2), 451-462.
Teigen, A., & Bragg, L. (2019). Improving the Juvenile Justice System. Legis Brief. 27(12), 1-21.
Underwood, L. A., & Washington, A. (2016). Mental Illness and Juvenile Offenders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 13(2), 228.
