Justice Related Services are overseen by the Office of Mental Health
and Substance Abuse Services. The Special Assistant to the Deputy
Secretary on Justice Related Services and Special Populations is
responsible for managing the interface between OMHSAS and the criminal
justice system. The interface between the mental health and criminal
justice systems is significant. OMHSAS collaborates with involved
stakeholders to propose justice related programs, assist in legislation,
provide consultation and provide education and training.
Family Involvement in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System
The Family Involvement Subcommittee of the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Workgroup for Models for Change-Pennsylvania recently released a monograph, Family Involvement in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System. The subcommittee’s work and the development of the monograph were supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation through its national Models for Change initiative.
From September 2007 to March 2008, the subcommittee conducted meetings with various stakeholders representing the geographic and cultural diversity of the commonwealth, including judges, probation officers, attorneys, providers, families and youth. Sixteen focus groups with more than 200 participants were held from May to November 2008, including three with families and two with youth. The focus groups provided opportunities for family members, youth and professionals to speak about their experience with Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system. Several common themes emerged from the focus groups, each of which is discussed in turn in the monograph with recommendations for how to address the identified issues. The themes are:
- Availability and access to effective early prevention and intervention
- Communicating respect
- Juvenile court policy and practice
- Statewide policy and oversight
Finally, the workgroup drafted a definition of family involvement and set of principles to guide family involvement in juvenile justice. The workgroup intends that these principles will become embedded in Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice policy and practice.
Family Involvement in Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System (2009)
Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Joint Policy Statement
for Pennsylvania
This policy statement was prepared in 2006 by the Mental
Health/Juvenile Justice Workgroup of the Pennsylvania MacArthur
Foundation Models for Change Initiative. The workgroup’s
vision is that by 2010 every county in Pennsylvania will have
a comprehensive model that 1) prevents the unnecessary involvement
of youth who are in need of mental health and substance abuse
treatment in the juvenile justice system; 2) allows for early
identification of youth in the system with mental health needs
and co-occurring disorders; and 3) provides for timely access
by identified youth in the system to appropriate treatment. The
statement is based on the principles and recommendations found
in Blueprint for Change: A Comprehensive Model for the Identification
and Treatment of Youth with Mental Health Needs in Contact with
the Juvenile Justice System developed by the National Center
for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Policy at Policy Research
Associates, Inc., with support from the federal Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Read the full statement here.
MacArthur Foundation
The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice seeks to expand the base of knowledge about the origins, development, prevention, and treatment of juvenile crime and delinquency; to disseminate that knowledge to professionals and the public; to improve decision-making in the current system; and to prepare the way for the next generation of reform in juvenile justice policy and practice.
MacArthur Foundation Models for Change
Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission
Save the Date: The 2009 Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice will be held November 4 - 6, 2009 at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers, Harrisburg, PA. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission.
Juvenile Law Center
The Juvenile Law Center uses legal advocacy, publications, projects, public education and training to ensure that the child welfare, juvenile justice and other public systems provide vulnerable children with the protection and services they need to become productive adults. The web site contains a page specifically devoted to juvenile justice issues.
