News Mashup for March 2023
Status of Juvenile Justice Realignment in California
This month KQED investigative reporter Marisa Lagos reminded Californians that on June 30 the state will shutter all remaining Division of Juvenile Justice lock-ups thus completing a multi-year reform effort to transfer youth to less institutional settings, closer to home.
It was in September of 2020 that Governor Gavin Newsom approved the Juvenile Justice Realignment Act SB 823. SB 823 transferred the responsibilities of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice, to the counties with funding from juvenile justice block grants. In addition to serving youth in closer proximity to their communities, the bill established the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) within the Health and Human Services Agency in order to promote trauma responsive, culturally informed services.
As the deadline approaches county probation chiefs have expressed concern that the state has not supplied the funding needed to implement a smooth transition, severely impacting their ability to provide necessary mental and behavioral health services, educational and vocational programs, and other rehabilitation support. In an interview with KQED Lassen County Probation Chief Jennifer Branning voiced the concerns of many of her peers saying that “I don't think it's going to matter if you're a small county or a large county. When you bring these youth back without the appropriate services and without the appropriate level of mental health services, it's going to destabilize things and it could create more crisis.”
Click on the links below to learn more about this and other juvenile justice issues in the news this month.
Marisa Lagos. March 6, 2023. As California shutters last remaining juvenile lockups, counties raise concerns about preparedness and funding. KQED. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.kqed.org/news/11942669/as-california-shutters-last-remaining-juvenile-lockups-counties-raise-concerns-about-preparedness-and-funding.
Betty Márquez Rosales. March 3, 2023. California’s juvenile justice system seeks to end the incarceration of girls and young women. EdSource. Retrieved March 30, 2023 from https://edsource.org/2023/californias-juvenile-justice-system-seeks-to-end-the-incarceration-of-girls-and-young-women/686301.
George Mason University. March 7, 2023. Study: Transition to adulthood brings mental health declines for Black youth who interact with juvenile justice system. PhysOrg. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-03-transition-adulthood-mental-health-declines.html.
Courtney M. Echols and Nancy Rodriguez. March 9, 2023. Juvenile probation officers’ recommendations worsen racial and ethnic sentencing disparities. London School of Economics, Phelan United States Centre. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2023/03/09/juvenile-probation-officers-recommendations-worsen-racial-and-ethnic-sentencing-disparities/.
Betty Márquez Rosales. March 17, 2023. Proposed bill would establish baseline funding for schools inside juvenile detention facilities. EdSource. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://edsource.org/updates/proposed-bill-would-establish-baseline-funding-for-schools-inside-juvenile-detention-facilities.
Eli Hager. March 22, 2023. Juveniles locked up for life will get a second chance in New Mexico, but the state must locate them first. ProPublica. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.propublica.org/article/new-mexico-juvenile-lifers-get-second-chance-state-must-locate-them.
Nate Balis. March 27, 2023. No place for (most) kids. Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://jjie.org/2023/03/27/1434395/.
Implementation of California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative
This month a multi-disciplinary working group known as Breaking Barriers California released general recommendations for implementing the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), a core component of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health. The working group presents two overarching themes: (1) development of shared structures, organization, and resources that will break apart existing programmatic silos and (2) creation of functions, processes, and outcomes that are efficient and accountable. At this stage only broad guidance is outlined — activities such as creating leadership teams, conducting needs assessments, goal setting, and developing models for program sustainability. Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency (DHHS) emphasized that the document “is meant to be an iterative working paper that I hope will be used, referred to and updated as we move forward together on our transformative journey to better serve children and families.”
One concrete milestone in the state’s journey to transform children’s mental health will be met in January 2024 when the California Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platform will go live. According to a press release issued by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) this month, the new platform will provide prevention, treatment and recovery services for 13-25 year-olds, including free, on-demand, one-on-one coaching and counseling supports. Services will be delivered through a smart phone application, a website portal, and by telephone. DHCS is partnering with the digital health care provider Kooth on the project. In tandem, DHCS is developing a statewide e-Consult service that will make it easier for primary care providers to connect with behavioral health providers.
Click on the links below to learn more.
Breaking Barriers California. March 2023. Working Paper: California’s children & youth behavioral health ecosystem. CalHHS. Retrieved March 30, 2023 from https://www.cmhnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ecosystem-Working-Paper-_-ADA.pdf.
California Department of Health Care Services. March 15, 2023. DHCS provides update on behavioral health virtual services platform for children and youth. Press Release. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/publications/oc/Documents/2023/23-13-CYBHI-3-15-23.pdf.
California Department of Health Care Services. March 20, 2023. DHCS provides update on behavioral health virtual services platform for children and youth. DHCS MAT Expansion Project. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://californiamat.org/dhcs-provides-update-on-behavioral-health-virtual-services-platform-for-children-and-youth/.
Youth Mental Health Hospitalization Increasing
This month JAMA Network published new research showing that pediatric mental health hospitalizations increased nationwide by about 26% percent between 2009 and 2019. The largest increase was seen in youth age 11-14 years. Particularly unnerving is a reported increase in pediatric hospitalizations due to suicidal or self-harming behavior, which rose from about 30% of the total in 2009 to 64% of the total in 2019. The study, which analyzed data from the Kids Inpatient Database, showed that in 2019 alone, about 20% of all pediatric hospital stays were due to mental health problems (201,932 admissions in acute care facilities exclusive of psychiatric hospitals). Of those admitted, about 60% were female, 50% were between the ages of 15-17 years, and 50% were covered by Medicaid.
In a March interview with The New York Times, the lead author of the study, Mary Arakelyan, said that hospitals must acknowledge their “increasingly central role as mental health providers.”
Click on the links below to learn more.
Mary Arakelyan, Seneca Freyleue, Divya Avula, and others. March 28, 2023. Pediatric mental health hospitalizations at acute care hospitals in the US, 2009-2019. JAMA Network. Retrieved March 30, 2023 from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2802915.
Ellen Barry. March 28, 2023. Hospitals are increasingly crowded with kids who tried to harm themselves, study finds. The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/health/pediatric-mental-health-hospitalizations.html.
Steven Reinberg. March 28, 2023. Rate of kids hospitalized in mental health crisis keeps rising. Medical Xpress. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-03-kids-hospitalized-mental-health-crisis.html.
More Stories in March: White House hosts roundtable on mental health crisis among young black men MindSite News — 03.02.2023; The Family First Act, five years later The Imprint — 03.06.2023; Association between state antibullying policies and suicidal behaviors among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth JAMA Pediatrics — 03.06.2023; Black and Latino infants and toddlers often miss out on early therapies they need The Hechinger Report — 03.07.2023; What parents need to know about their teens’ mental health KQED —03.08.2023; We’re missing a key driver of teen anxiety The Atlantic — 03.08.2023. Mental health crisis among teens demands a new approach Psychology Today — 03.08.2023; The omnibus spending package left out mental health reform CLASP — 03.08.2023; Comparison of paediatric emergency department visits for attempted suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis The Lancet Psychiatry — 03.09.2023; President's budget proposes additional funds for mental health American Association of Counseling — 03.10.2023; How can California help at-risk students close achievement gaps? CalMatters — 03.12.2023; Advocates propose an alternative to refocus budget on Black students EdSource — 03.14.2023; California bill would require schools to notify parents if their child is transgender Los Angles Times — 0.3.15.2023; Opinion: How more California children can get the mental health care they desperately need California Health Report — 03.15.2023; Addressing the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and families NAS — 03.20.2023; Toddlers need social emotional learning, teachers say The Hechinger Report— 03.21.2023; Autism rates trending upwards, CDC reports MedScape — 0.3.24.2023; How girls really feel about social media Common Sense — 03.30.2023.
