Mental Health Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice

It is well known that many children and adolescents entering the juvenile justice system suffer from serious mental disorders. Yet until now, few resources have been available to help mental health and juvenile justice professionals accurately identify the mental health needs of the youths in their care. Filling a crucial gap, this volume offers a practical primer on screening and assessment together with in-depth reviews of over 20 widely used instruments. Comprehensive and timely, it brings together leading experts to provide authoritative guidance in this challenging area of clinical practice. The volume begins with a clear overview of the basics: the nature of mental disorders among justice-involved youths, the "whys" and "how-tos" of setting up screening and assessment programs in juvenile justice facilities, and what to look for in selecting appropriate instruments. Subsequent sections present a range of screening and assessment tools that are particularly useful with this high-risk population. Chapters on specific measures/m-/many of which are written by the test developers themselves/m-/follow a consistent format for ease of reference and comparison.