Report: Few Plans Help Mentally Ill

Tuesday, December 5th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) â€” At least half of all jailed juveniles suffer from mental illness but few programs exist to help them, according to a report released Tuesday by a congressional advisory group.

In its annual report to Congress, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice called for $100 million in federal spending to create community-based mental health programs for youths and their families.

``The real crime is that many troubled and traumatized children have to get arrested to get mental health services,'' said Robert Pence, chairman of the Washington D.C.-based coalition.

The group said an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of youngsters in the juvenile justice system nationwide suffer from mental health problems.

As many as 36 percent of parents surveyed by the coalition said their children were in the juvenile justice system because they couldn't get needed mental help outside the system. One in five parents relinquished custody of the child.

The coalition recommended laws ensuring no parent be forced to yield custody, and proposed training corrections workers on mental health, cultural, racial, gender and sexual-orientation issues.

``Although family problems can certainly contribute to delinquency behavior, parents are seen as the solution rather than as the problem,'' the coalition said. ``Therapists come and go, while parents have a 24-hour-a-day, lifelong commitment to their children.''

The coalition cited Youth Villages of Memphis, Tenn., and Wraparound Milwaukee as programs that help keep the public safe and provide children with assistance they desperately need.

Mental health services at the nonprofit Youth Villages are tailored to individuals and are based on an intensive family and community-based model called multisystemic therapy, which helps reduce repeat offenses and out-of-home placements, according to the report.

The publicly funded Wraparound Milwaukee uses a ``no wrong door'' approach that offers a child and his family individualized mental health services from schools, churches, probation officers and recreation programs.

Since the program began six years ago, the city's average cost of mental health care per juvenile offender has dropped from more than $5,000 per month to less than $3,300, the report said.

``The hospital used to be the only place where all the needs of a youth could be met,'' said Chris Morano, crisis unit director for Wraparound Milwaukee. ``Now, we are focusing on more `natural' supports. We remain focused on what the child needs.''

Congress created the coalition to help states reduce youth violence. The coalition has issued yearly reports to Congress since 1986.

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On the Net:

Coalition for Juvenile Justice: http://www.nassembly.org/html/memâ€”cjj.html