Juvenile Offenders with Mental Health Disorders

Who Are They and What Do We Do With Them? (2nd Ed.) 
by Dr. Lisa Boesky
​

Teens with mental health disorders continue to enter and remain in the juvenile justice system—providing significant challenges for those who work with them. This book is a practical, user-friendly guide for professionals who supervise, manage, teach, or treat teenagers who have been arrested, detained or incarcerated. 

Learn how the following disorders specifically manifest (it is not always what you think!) among juvenile offenders:
  • Depression 
  • Bipolar
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • ADHD
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
  • Conduct Disorder
  • Learning Disorders
  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
  • Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
  • Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders
  • Suicide 
  • Self-Injury/Cutting 
Plus, effective management strategies to use with teens that have each of the above disorders while they are under your care. 

Relevant issues related to diagnosis, screening and assessment, and treatment of juveniles with mental health disorders are covered, as are key issues related to youth of color, female offenders, sexual minority youth, head trauma, violence & mental illness, seclusion & restraint, and malingering/faking mental health symptoms. 

Reviews

“Dr. Boesky’s book is a ‘must have” for every juvenile detention and correctional facility, every probation and aftercare office, and every juvenile community corrections program. It should also be in the library of every juvenile training academy…. and can also serve as a blueprint when conducting self-evaluations of existing programs.”          
          –Charles J. Kehoe, Former President of the American Correctional Association
“This new edition demonstrates Dr. Boesky’s knowledge of the subject matter combined with her energy and passion. She has worked with these kids in institutions. She gets it: these kids can be very frustrating to deal with. Yet, she provides practical advice. She knows what she’s talking about.”            
​          ​–Rodney Finney, Chief Deputy Court Services, Sacramento County Probation
“Like the first edition, Boesky’s revised second edition is one of the few “must reads” for all professionals in the field. Boesky is able to clearly describe what each disorder looks like in a corrections setting and how to help. Given the current budgetary climate where training dollars are harder to access, this new edition is a cost effective and tremendous training tool for staff. The chapter “Suicide and Juvenile Offenders” is worth the entire price of the book.”  
          -Mike Riggan, Superintendent, Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility
“While all the chapters are invaluable, the time allotted to areas that we continually struggle with: Conduct Disorder, Suicide, Self-Injury, and ADHD are well covered and give us hope that we can maintain and service these troubled youth. The extensive coverage of treatment of juvenile offenders with mental health issues (from programming and secure care through community) is invaluable.      
        –Dianne Gadow, Chair, ACA Juvenile Corrections Committee