Unmet mental health needs among youth cause problems with
school, family, and community often resulting in the
criminalization of mental illness. Between 50 and 90 percent of
youth in juvenile detention facilities in California suffer from
some form of mental illness. Moreover, a congressional study
concluded that about 2,000 youth are incarcerated every day
simply because community mental health services are unavailable.
One response to this crisis has been the creation of juvenile
mental health courts. These courts focus on treatment rather
than punishment and represent collaboration between the courts,
probation officers, prosecutors, public defenders, mental health
workers, and civil advocates. Their goal is to divert mentally
ill youth from juvenile jails to community-based mental health
services. Juvenile mental health courts provide intensive case
management to youth in the juvenile justice system with serious
mental illness. Youth needing mental health services and
intensive supervision may be referre