Canceled program for mentally ill juvenile offenders gets reprieve and new look
Ventura County StarJul 30, 2017
The first new clients were accepted last week into "Insights," a court-supervised treatment program that is supposed to prevent kids from repeated hospitalizations and confinement in locked juvenile facilities.
It replaces the "Solutions Court," a program that was buffeted by low enrollment and dwindling funding. County mental health officials canceled a
Interface provided treatment under contracts for various versions of the program going back 10 years. Enrollment probably peaked at 35 to 40, Vessels said.
Vessels said she hopes for a turnaround under the in-house county initiative.
"Sometimes a program might benefit from going back in county coffers because without a doubt the county has more leverage with other county departments," she said. "I am hoping for really good things."
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County officials said they expect to improve identification of youth who need treatment, better connect them with services in the community and admit kids with a broader variety of alleged crimes than in the past.
"No one is being excluded off the cuff," said
County officials predicted youth will also be easier to follow in what they hope will be a seamless collaborative of mental health, probation and legal agencies.
"The mental health professional knows exactly what probation officer to call, and vice versa," said
Fox said she hopes to enroll up to 30 youths.
Previously, about 60 percent of the cost was covered by proceeds from the Mental Health Services Act. Voters authorized the tax in 2004 by imposing a 1 percent tax on personal income above
Crandall has said the reserves from that source are dwindling amid new demands for funding housing, crisis care and services to foster youths.
National research shows that 75 percent of kids who are incarcerated have a diagnosed mental health issue, said
That's reflected in the population in
"It has gone to 85 percent," she said. "Not all 85 percent are appropriate for Insights, but all should receive some level of services."
Insights is designed for youths who are on formal probation, have a mental disorder that contributes to their delinquency, and are mentally competent enough to understand the court process.
Families interested in participating in the program are asked to contact their child's probation officer.
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