Jun 28, 2009
Juvenile Mental Health Court
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By: David Terry | Other Posts by David Terry Go to Comments | One Comment |
CBS Channel 11 recently broadcasted a special report on the Juvenile Mental Health Court. In collaboration with Systems of Hope, Judge John Phillips, 314th Harris County Juvenile Court Judge, created this pilot program in order to alleviate the need for juveniles with mental health issues to be taken into custody. In order to participate in the program, a parent of the child must be involved and, along with the child, must meet with the judge every two weeks to review the child’s progress. The program focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment and combines components of the courtroom, such as prosecutors and probation officers, with psychologists and counselors. In explaining his motive behind starting the program, Judge Phillips says the program seeks to prevent afflicted juveniles from repeatedly being involved in the juvenile court system. It has long been recognized that there is a strong correlation between mental illness and juvenile offenses. Recent studies have shown that around half the children locked up in detention suffer from some sort of mental illness. According to George Ford of Systems of Hope, the program has seen some success in preventing repeat offenders. He notes that over 61% of the children at intake had been expelled or suspended within the prior six months, while the rate dropped to 28.6% after six months of participation in the program.
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I found this article to be very interesting, especially since I have a special needs son who is Bipolar/ADHD/ODD/Depression with whom I am dealing with the same issues at school (e.g., suspensions, detention, etc.). I find it appalling that the school districts cannot effectively deal with students with mental health issues other than by simply placing them within the juvenile justice system. Moreover, the zero tolerance policy is detrimental to the well being of ALL special needs students. This is my son’s first year in high school and already he has been suspended for six (6) days at home and 1 day of in-school suspension.