Window of opportunity: reducing youth substance use and addressing mental needs at time of first justice contact

Over 2 million youth are arrested annually, and 31 million are under juvenile court jurisdiction. Most past research on juvenile justice, substance misuse, and mental health symptoms has focused on detained youth, but less is known about the nearly 80% of justice-involved youth diverted to the community. This Symposium presents data on substance use and mental health symptom trajectories starting from the diverted youth ’s first ever juvenile court contact to inform the development and implementation of early behavioral health screening, prevention, and treatment interventions.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Symposium 16 Source Type: research