[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 83 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT

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                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 14, 2001

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to 
announce the introduction of the Mental Health Juvenile Justice Act of 
2001. I am pleased to be joined by 32 original cosponsors who share my 
strong desire to improve the treatment of children with mental health 
needs who enter the juvenile justice system.
  The rate of mental disorders is significantly higher among youth in 
the juvenile justice system than among youth in the general population. 
Federal studies suggest that as many as 60% of incarcerated youth have 
some mental health disorder and 20% have a severe disorder. In my home 
state of California, a recent study by the California Youth Authority 
found that 35% of boys in its custody and 73% of girls need mental 
health or substance abuse treatment.
  We also know that many youngsters in the juvenile justice system have 
committed minor, non-violent offenses or status offenses. While they 
may be better served through the mental health system, often times 
these youngsters are incarcerated in juvenile facilities because of a 
lack of access to or the availability of mental health programs in the 
community. These youngsters, their families, and society, could be 
better served if we made available appropriate local mental health, 
substance abuse, and educational services as an alternative to 
incarceration, particularly for first offenders and non-violent 
offenses.
  Our nation's juvenile justice system cannot adequately serve the 
needs of children with mental health disorders. Juvenile facilities are 
overcrowded and lack the necessary programming required to accommodate 
the needs of these youthful offenders. Staff working in these 
facilities are not trained to work with children in need of mental
  Mental health treatment and services have been proven more effective 
than incarceration in preventing troubled young people from reoffending 
and are less expensive than prison. In the long run, they are even more 
cost-effective to us as a society, because they increase the odds that 
a young person will become a responsible, productive, taxpaying citizen 
rather than a permanent ward of the state.
  The bill we are introducing today, the Mental Health Juvenile Justice 
Act, would help create alternatives to incarceration, particularly for 
first time non-violent offenders, and improve conditions in youth 
correctional institutions by:

       Providing funds to train juvenile justice personnel on the 
     identification and need for appropriate treatment of mental 
     disorders and substance abuse, and on the use of community-
     based alternatives to placement in juvenile correctional 
     facilities.
       Providing block grant funds and competitive grants to 
     states and localities to develop local mental health 
     diversion programs for children who come into contact with 
     the justice system and broaden access to mental health and 
     substance abuse treatment programs for incarcerated children 
     with emotional disorders.
       Establishing a Federal Council to report to Congress on 
     recommendations to improve the treatment of youth with 
     serious emotional and behavioral disorders who come into 
     contact with the justice system.
       Strengthening federal courts' ability to remedy abusive 
     conditions in state facilities under which juvenile offenders 
     and prisoners with mental illness are being held.
       We need to reform our juvenile justice system to ensure 
     that it preserves the basic rights and human dignity of the 
     children and youth housed in its facilities. And, while 
     alternatives to incarceration may not work for all youth, for 
     those who must serve time in a juvenile correctional facility 
     we have an obligation to ensure that they have access to 
     appropriate medical and psychiatric treatment and qualified 
     staff.
       The Mental Health Juvenile Justice Act offers these reforms 
     and includes the appropriate safeguards for youth who would 
     be better served in mental health and substance abuse 
     treatment programs. I look forward to working with my 
     colleagues in enacting this legislation.

     

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