Factors Associated with Successful Completion of Juvenile Mental Health Court

Justice-involved youth experience a high number of mental health symptoms. There has been an increased effort to address the mental health needs of these youth through specialized juvenile mental health courts (JMHC). To date, there have been few studies that examined characteristics related to successful completion of a JMHC program. This study is a retrospective case file review of 99 individuals ages 10 to 18 years who were involved in a JMHC program. Information collected included educational history, parental factors, psychiatric and abuse history, legal history, risk of removal from home, and risk and protective factors from the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) measure. The primary outcome was successful completion of the program. Forty-eight participants (48.5%) successfully completed the program. Neglect, removal from the home, new charges, probation violation, and number of previous charges were negatively associated with successful completion. Positive attitude toward intervention was positively associated with successful completion. Measures that juvenile justice systems may use, such as the SAVRY risk factors and abuse and neglect screens, were not associated with completion. More studies are needed to identify factors associated with successful completion of a JMHC program and to develop interventions to improve outcomes.