A national survey of U.S. juvenile mental health courts.

Objective: The authors surveyed U.S. juvenile mental health courts (JMHCs).

Incarceration and psychotropic drug use by youth.

Objective: To determine changes in psychotropic medication use before and after juvenile justice incarceration, contrasting stays in long-stay commitment facilities and short-stay detention facilities.

Design: Statewide administrative data (July 1, 1998, through June 30, 2003) from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and Florida Medicaid. Medication prescriptions filled before entry and after release from facilities were determined based on paid claims.

Diversion from the juvenile justice system: the Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center Post-Arrest Diversion Program.

Many arrested youth present with multiple problems, including substance use and mental health problems, poor academic performance, and often come from violent homes and neighborhoods. These problems are directly associated with delinquent behavior and status offenses, presenting challenges to justice agencies, which must respond to these factors to support youths' resources and resiliencies and to reduce the probability of recidivism. The Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center implemented a diversion program for first-time, nonviolent youth.