Mental Health & Trauma

Behavioral health is the throughline of youth justice. This section tracks need, screening, referral pathways, crisis response, and the fragile handoffs that determine whether care continues during detention/placement and after release.

What We Track

Screening & Triage: use of validated tools at intake; documentation of overrides and referral criteria.
Access & Completion: provider availability, wait times, telehealth coverage, and service completion rates.
Crisis Response: mobile crisis teams, short-stay stabilization, and emergency-department diversion.
Continuity: medications, therapy plans, records, and education coordination across detention/placement and reentry.
Equity: differences by race/ethnicity, disability, and rural vs. urban access.

Screening & Triage (Typical)

Initial screen: brief behavioral health screen at intake; suicide risk screening where indicated.
Clinical follow-up: rapid referral for assessment when screen is positive or risk factors present.
Care plan: outpatient/IOP or residential as needed; align with family and school schedules.
Safety & monitoring: crisis plan, check-ins, and feedback from providers to probation/case managers.

Care Pathways

Outpatient / IOP: therapy, skills, and family sessions; telehealth to bridge distance and schedules.
Residential / Stabilization: short, goal-focused stays with clear step-down and reentry planning.
Co-occurring SUD/MH: coordinated approaches when substance use and mental health needs overlap.

Crisis Response

Mobile crisis teams and school-based response to prevent unnecessary detention/ER use.
Warm handoffs to short-stay stabilization with clear criteria for return to community care.
Aftercare check-ins (72h/30d) to close loops and prevent relapse or disengagement.

Continuity Across Settings

Pre-admission packet from courts to facilities: meds, diagnoses, prior providers, education plans.
At release: bridge prescriptions; scheduled community appointments; records to school and providers.
Reentry: confirm enrollment, transportation, and coverage (Medicaid/EPSDT) to reduce missed starts.

Data & Methods

Need and access rates are normalized to the youth population (12–17). Small-n values are pooled across 2–3 years and flagged. When definitions or reporting systems change, we mark breaks in series so trends remain comparable.

Transparency note: We disaggregate access and completion by race/ethnicity and rurality, and we annotate pooled values or proxy measures to keep interpretations honest.

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