Elio Andreoli, Tyler Adderley, Sean Skinkle 

For many young folks, involvement in the Juvenile Justice System is not just about facing consequences, but also about navigating trauma, mental health challenges, or substance use in a system that may not see the full scope of their needs. Did you know that over 50% of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system have some type of behavioral health disorder? This rate is much higher than the general population of adolescents. Recognizing this difference, the North Carolina Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships (NC JJBH) aims to provide support for these youth through a family-centered and community-care approach.  

The process of justice system involvement can be particularly challenging for these youth since they may face difficulties with accessing education, gaining employment, accessing mental health care, or even just the overall transition back into their community once their involvement has ended. As you can imagine, this can be incredibly difficult and may even feel isolating. Through collaboration with local teams and various organizational partners, NC JJBH aims to help ease this transition by providing support to these youth and their families. At the heart of this supportive approach is NC JJBH developing, monitoring, and improving the processes that bring together youth, their families, and professionals from different agencies in order to create a tailored action plan to address the needs of the individual youth and family. These plans not only address immediate concerns or needs such as crisis intervention, but they also address the long-term goals such as education, employment, and housing. Licensed professionals conduct comprehensive assessments of the young person to ensure that they receive an appropriate diagnosis and treatment recommendations for substance use and/or mental health challenges; as treatment is not a one-size fits all matter.   

The state NC JJBH team is a collective of various state organizations such as the NC Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, NC Department of Public Safety – Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and NC Department of Public Education. Local JJBH teams include Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization representatives, Juvenile Justice professionals, lived experience professionals, and licensed behavioral health professionals in order to ensure that these youth are getting the proper treatment plan and mental health care that is tailored to their needs.  

In order to help strengthen these support systems, NC JJBH provides specialized training for professionals and caregivers. These trainings cover important topics within the categories of team processes, program overviews, best practices, trauma-focused training, and data utilization. Some of the training sessions include Youth & Family Engagement, Evidence-Based Treatments, Trauma Assessment & Treatment, and Data-Driven Decision Making. Through addressing these topics, these sessions help create a more compassionate approach to the care and treatment of these justice-involved youth. Additionally, the initiative implements evidence-based practices in their work to ensure that interventions are not only tailored to individual needs but backed by research as well.  

The overall goal of NC JJBH is to create a system where justice-involved youth can receive the care and support they need within their own communities. Many of these youth have experienced some significant trauma and without proper mental health care or intervention, the cycle of justice system involvement and untreated mental health challenges can continue. Through multi-agency coordination and a commitment to a person-centered approach, NC JJBH is making a meaningful difference in the lives of justice-involved young people and their families. 

References: 

North Carolina Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships. (n.d.). Home. North Carolina Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships. https://northcarolinajjbh.org/ 

Juvenile Justice Substance Abuse Mental Health Partnerships. (2017). JJSAMHP factsheet 2016-2017. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. 

Juvenile Justice Substance Abuse Mental Health Partnerships. (2017). JJSAMHP brochure. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.