There is a significant relationship between mental health issues and juvenile offenders. There is a growing reliance on the juvenile justice system to meet the needs of juvenile offenders with mental health issues. Researches continue to study more intervention and treatment programs that are more effective. Most problems among juvenile offenders correlate with each other. The highly preferred approach is implementing a dynamic system of care that extends beyond mere treatment within the juvenile justice system. Such as system would provide a plan of care for treatment, various intervention models, and the role of the juvenile justice system in providing the needs of juvenile offenders.
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MENTAL HEALTH AND THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

There is an interesting history of the juvenile justice system. Until the late 1990s, many states intertwined the roles of psychiatry and the juvenile criminal justice system. The first time to conduct federally mandated research and investigations on mental health services was in 1998. The study revealed inadequate mental health care and screenings in several states to meet the needs of juvenile offenders. Around the same time, concerns about mental health issues among the youth were growing. Many leaders realized that previous estimates of the prevalence of “emotional disturbance” in this population were low. Tackling mental health issues among juvenile offenders became mandatory in the early 2000s. The process involves mental health screening, assessment, and treatment.
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DIFFICULTIES FACED BY JUVENILE OFFENDERS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

Meeting the mental health needs of juvenile offenders should be a top priority. About a quarter of the incarcerated youth suffer from some form of mental illnesses that are severe enough to hinder their ability to deal with the everyday pressures of adolescent life. Most juvenile offenders with mental health issues have more than one disorder. One of the most prevalent disorders within the juvenile systems is substance abuse. Other common mental illnesses are anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Most juvenile offenders end up in the juvenile justice system are there as a direct result of not having access to treatment for their illnesses within their community.
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