It is now well established that the vast majority of youth in the juvenile justice system, approximately 70%, suffer from mental disorders, with 25% experiencing disorders so severe that their ability to function is significantly impaired. For some youth, contact with the juvenile justice system is often their first and only chance to get help. For others, it is the last resort after being bounced from one system to another. Frustrated juvenile justice administrators and mental health professionals are struggling to take action, yet little progress has been made due, at least in part, to the fact that there has been a lack of information available about how best to respond to these youth.
The Blueprint for Change fills this gap.In 2001, the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provided funding to the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice to develop a Comprehensive Model that would provide guidance to the field to help them address this problem. The Model was developed in partnership with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), with guidance from an advisory group of key national experts, and revised by a panel of mental health and juvenile justice administrators, practitioners, advocates and youth. Even though the Blueprint has not received final approval from OJJDP, because of the critical need for this information in the field, the Center has received permission from OJJDP to release the final draft.