Missed opportunities for culturally responsive treatment: Applying the sequential intercept model to Latino...

This study explores pathways into and out of the criminal justice system for Latinos with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, emphasizing missed and successful opportunities for intervention. Using a qualitative design, we retrospectively apply the Sequential Intercept Model-a framework for identifying points of intervention along the justice continuum-to 15 in-depth life history interviews with Latinos in South Texas. By incorporating adverse childhood experiences, mental health symptoms, and substance use onset, we map trajectories across all six intercepts, from community-based services through community corrections. Findings reveal that participants experienced long-term behavioral health issues that remained unaddressed until late-stage criminal justice involvement. Early intercepts, such as community contact, law enforcement, and court diversion, represented the most frequently missed opportunities. Our findings extend prior critiques by illustrating how cultural norms, discretionary policing, and stigma produce "invisible intervention points"-unrecognized points of potential intervention obscured by social and institutional barriers. Cultural stigma, fragmented service systems, and diagnostic exclusion further constrained access to early treatment. Spanish-speaking participants typically engaged only after incarceration or court-mandated referral, whereas English-speaking participants described earlier but untreated symptoms rooted in trauma and instability. Those who received structured care during reentry or community supervision reported greater stability and reduced recidivism. This study demonstrates the utility of serious mental illness as a retrospective analytic tool for assessing service gaps and guiding reform. Findings underscore the need for culturally responsive outreach and cross-agency coordination to reduce criminal justice involvement among Latino populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).