Department of Juvenile Services

Hope Health Systems, inc. has been providing mental health and substance abuse services to detained youth at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, also known as the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), for over a decade. Our clinical team has a proven track record of providing clear results. At the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, HHS was able to have all of the existing Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons ACT (CRIPA) deficiencies removed. Other achievements at the Juvenile Justice Center include:

• Implemented mental health assessments.
• Developed suicide protocols and suicide prevention training.
• Protocols for treatment planning.
• Improved record keeping protocols.
• Implemented standards for providing access to adequate mental health treatment within a reasonable time frame.

Juvenile Justice

Research has established that the vast majority of youth in the juvenile justice system (approximately 70%), suffer from mental disorders, with many experiencing disorders so severe that their ability to function is significantly impaired. A youth’s contact with the juvenile justice system is often the first and only chance to get help, or it may be the last resort when one system after another has failed. Juvenile justice administrators and communities are struggling to make progress in creating systems that support the specialized needs of these youth.

Services Offered at Juvenile Centers

HHS provides a range of mental health and substance abuse treatment services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Currently HHS provides an interdisciplinary program of mental health and substance abuse treatment at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, in partnership with local and state agencies and other community-based organizations.

The comprehensive juvenile justice services that HHS provides include: psychiatric evaluation, psychological testing, medication management, counseling (individual, group and family), suicide assessments, crisis interventions and referral services, aggressive reduction therapy and training for direct care staff on de-escalation skills and peer relations. HHS Juvenile Justice services are provided based on an integrated treatment model with care providers who have extensive training in treating youth who have mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.

Provision of quality, evidence-based mental health care to the juvenile justice population is a challenge; contact HHS to discuss how we can integrate our services within your facility.