Mental Health Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice

"This is an excellent resource for guiding the selection of mental health assessment tools for use in the juvenile justice system. It is comprehensive, authoritative, and practical. The volume clearly articulates the many applications of mental health assessment in the juvenile justice system, and reviews specific measures that meet a variety of needs. This is an important contribution for mental health workers in the juvenile justice system, for researchers studying the mental health needs of juvenile offenders, and, as a graduate text, for students being trained to work in the juvenile justice system."--Paul J. Frick, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans

"This book will prove valuable to program administrators and mental health professionals alike. In addition to providing a comprehensive discussion of the challenges of, and rationale for, mental health screening and assessment in juvenile justice settings, Grisso et al. have assembled a cadre of professionals uniquely situated to describe and review the utility of key measures of emotional and behavioral functioning. Administrators charged with implementing screening and assessment programs, practitioners considering the utility of specific assessment tools that may be employed in this arena, and researchers, as well, all will find this volume extremely helpful."--Randy K. Otto, PhD, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida

"This essential book succeeds in significantly raising the bar for how accurately and effectively we can identify the mental health needs of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system. Grisso et al. provide a conceptual framework for screening and assessment, describe the major tools currently available for use in juvenile justice settings, and offer guidelines for using these tools to glean what practitioners need to know, when they need to know it. Highly useful and relevant, this book could not be arriving at a more critical time. It provides the practical knowledge base upon which to make better decisions and develop better mental health services for justice-involved youth in juvenile programs and in the community."--Joseph J. Cocozza, PhD, National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice, Policy Research Associates, Inc., Delmar, New York

"An impressive, comprehensive, and up-to-date work. Developmental and diagnostic issues are covered along with the strengths and weaknesses of assessment tools available for use with this population. This book, which is well edited and accessible, is an essential resource for anyone working in juvenile justice settings."--Diane H. Schetky, MD, private practice in forensic psychiatry, Rockport, Maine; Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine at Maine Medical Center

"This volume succeeds admirably in all important respects....The editors have provided all the guidance and structure readers will need to make the best use of this exceptionally well-done text....I am confident that it will serve both a model for how we should proceed, and a beacon for where we should be going in this important area of professional practice."

"Right on target as a desperately needed reference for people who are responsible for selecting, deploying, and developing instruments for screening and assessing youthful offenders. It describes a range of instruments....Provides state-of-the-art assessments for substance abuse, violence, and other practical concerns of the juvenile justice system and the mental health providers who serve it. A thoughtful and useful touch is a vignette that describes the use of each instrument after its properties, applications, and limitations are described. This book is an essential read or reference text for providers of mental health services in juvenile justice populations."

"The book will do a lot to promote an effective response to the enormous mental health needs in juvenile justice facilities. This volume will be an invaluable resource for the dual audiences it is addressed to, both juvenile justice professionals and mental health professionals working with a juvenile justice population....I recommend that mental health professionals and juvenile justice professionals buy the book and share it within the context of a multidisciplinary juvenile justice team....a valuable tool."

Thomas Grisso, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Psychology, and Coordinator of the Law and Psychiatry Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. His research, teaching, and clinical practice focus on forensic mental health evaluations and services. Dr. Grisso has received numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy, and has authored several books on psychology and juvenile justice. He is also a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice.

Gina M. Vincent, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Law and Psychiatry Program in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is Co-Investigator of the National Norms for the MAYSI-2 project, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, and Project Director of the Juvenile Adjudicative Competence project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Dr. Vincent has published and presented widely in the areas of juvenile psychopathy, juvenile sex offending, violence risk assessment, and mental disorder in juvenile justice.

Daniel Seagrave, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist who holds a Diplomate in Forensic Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is the former Director of the Forensic Division of the New Mexico State Hospital. Dr. Seagrave's private practice focused on forensic evaluations for both criminal and juvenile court. He is currently employed as a clinical psychologist with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. His research interests include juvenile violence risk assessment and the application of psychopathy concepts to juvenile offenders.