Session: Examining Treatment Needs of Youth Involved in the Juvenile Court: Implications for Effective Trauma-Informed Practice (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Ensuring healthy development for all youth includes youth who are in the juvenile justice system. In the United States, more than 31 million youth are under the supervision of the juvenile court (Puzzanchera & Hockenberry, 2013) and over 70,000 youth are detained on any given night (OJJDP, 2011). Moreover, the juvenile justice system disproportionately affects the most socially disenfranchised youth in this country. Youth of color are overrepresented in the system (Soler & Garry, 2009) and 65-70% of youth in the system have at least one diagnosable mental health disorder, 30% have diagnosable learning disabilities, 70% have experienced a traumatic event, and 30% have a history of frequent and injurious physical and sexual abuse experience (OJJDP, 2010). In fact victimization rates among incarcerated youth are two times higher than those among the general population (Coleman & Stewart, 2010). Thus, promoting mental, emotional, and behavioral health of youth in the juvenile justice system is a crucial task for social workers.

In order for the juvenile justice system to effectively serve its rehabilitative function, youths’ needs and strengths must be accurately assessed to inform treatment plans and practice. However, there is great variability in the delivery of screening tools that detect mental health, learning disabilities, or adverse childhood experiences, and even more inconsistencies integrating these indicated needs into treatment plans.

This symposium highlights the diverse needs of young people in the juvenile justice system and the requirement to infuse more individualized responsive services to improve youth outcomes. Specifically, this symposium discusses effective screening and response strategies for juvenile justice involved youth with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and associated marginalization regarding mental health conditions, learning disabilities, or minority status. In utilizing administrative data and publicly available survey data, this symposium offers a unique opportunity to discuss how practitioners can use empirical data to inform treatment plans and services.

The first paper uses data from a northwestern county to examine subgroups of youth on probation with distinct profiles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their relationship to treatment needs. Findings suggest six distinct trauma groups demonstrating unique treatment needs for each group.

The second paper uses data from a midwestern county to examine racial differences in recidivism rates and the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and protective factors on recidivism among boys on probation. Findings indicate opportunities to strengthen protective factors to increase desistance from crime.

Finally, the third paper uses self-report data from a nationally representative sample of youth in residential facilities to identify potential risk and protective factors for recidivism and the role of emotional and mental health services in residential facilities. Findings suggest that youth who received mental or emotional services anticipate significantly lower likelihood of recidivism.

Following the presentation of the three papers, the discussion will focus on combining and comparing the findings to provide further understanding of the needs and strengths of youth in the juvenile justice system. The discussion will lead to translating research findings to practice strategies that can ensure healthy development for these youth.