Introduction to the Special Series on Behavioral Disorders and Juvenile Justice: Facilitating Effective Reentry Into School and Community

Abstract

This introduction to the special series on facilitating effective reentry into school and community for youth from the juvenile justice (JJ) system highlights several important issues for educators and others serving youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The articles within this special series focus on key factors in programming and professional development that promote reentry success. Central to this discussion are protective factors, like self-determination and engagement, facility programming and climate, provision of person-centered supports, prioritization of youth development and mental health, increased communication and capacity building among stakeholders, and shifting to the use of positive youth outcomes in addition to recidivism as measure of reentry success. Findings and discussion provide a critical reference point for professionals and scholars interested in promoting reentry success and may improve interventions and services for JJ-involved youth, especially those with EBD.

Mental health dynamics of adolescents: A one-year longitudinal study in Harari, eastern Ethiopia

“…The sum of conduct and hyperactivity scales was used to generate externalizing score which ranging from 0 to 20 and the sum of emotional and peer problem scales to generate internalizing score which ranging 0 to 20. The internalizing problem subscale category is normal (0-7), borderline (8) and abnormal (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) while the externalizing subscale for normal, borderline and abnormal are (0-8), ( 9), (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) respectively [38,43]. A borderline category score was considered a cut-off point for each difficulty sub-scores for indicating mental health problems in this study.…”

“…Although nearly half of mental health disorders begin by age 14 and 75% start by age 24, the majority are underdiagnosed and undertreated [6,7] or start much later [6]. Thus, failure to detect and treat the problem at an early stage can have detrimental long-term effects, including poor academic performance, unemployment, homelessness, poverty, various health problems, and involvement with the juvenile justice system [8][9][10].…”

Examination of a community-based, multifaceted program for juvenile offenders and their families

“…We now know that juveniles (and their families) have higher chances of success (i.e. lower recidivism, less truancy, increased parental involvement, improvement in mental health) if they can participate in programs within their local community and are not held in detention centers for long periods of time (Griller Clark and Mathur, 2021; Lipsey, 2020; McCarthy et al , 2016; NCSL, 2011; Scott and Lorenc, 2007). We also know that children whose parents or legal guardians maltreat have a high risk of being in the juvenile justice system and child welfare system (Goodkind et al , 2013; Ryan and Testa, 2005; Aguilar-Ruiz and Pereda, 2022).…”

Correspondence between resident‐ and staff‐report on the QABF: Do justice‐involved youth agree with residential staff?

“…Clark and Mathur (2021) noted residents in JRTFs may present with a variety of mental health issues either upon admission to or at some time during their stay. Residents' issues often meet minimum requirements for special educational assistance, a diagnosis of an emotional and behavioral disorder, or both (Gagnon et al., 2015; Quinn et al., 2005).…”