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Evaluation ViewAttendees 4

Criminal Justice / Forensics
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 63 - Addressing Mental Health Needs among Justice-Involved Youth: Risk, Intervention, and Systemic Barriers

Sunday, November 23, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Location: Bolden 2, Level 2
CE: 1

Keywords: Legal Issues, Vulnerable Populations, Underserved Populations
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Kemp, K., Sheerin, K., Pederson, C., Grant, M., Modrowski, C., & Spirito, A. (2025). Youth with Behavioral Health Symptoms in the Juvenile Legal System: From Assessment of Needs to Interventions to Scalability. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 21.,   Beaudry, G., Yu, R., Långström, N., & Fazel, S. (2021). An updated systematic review and meta-regression analysis: Mental disorders among adolescents in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 46-60.,   Winters, G. M., Kaylor, L. E., & Jeglic, E. L. (2022). Toward a universal definition of child sexual grooming. Deviant Behavior, 43(8), 926-938.,   ,  

Justice-involved youth experience disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges, including trauma-related symptoms, substance use, and victimization; yet, the juvenile legal system (JLS) often fails to provide adequate screening, intervention, or protection. This symposium integrates four studies examining critical aspects of mental health among justice-involved youth, including risk assessment, intervention effectiveness, systemic victimization, and gaps in psychosocial treatment research. These findings inform efforts to improve identification, treatment, and prevention strategies.
The first presentation (Modrowski et al.) explores how probation officer-rated assessments enhance mental health risk identification among JLS-involved youth. A cluster analysis of Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) data from 133 adjudicated youth identified two risk profiles: a High Needs group and a Moderate Needs group. Those in the High Needs group showed significantly greater vulnerability. Findings highlight the value of system-professional ratings in supplementing self-report measures to improve risk assessment and intervention targeting.
The second presentation (Collibee et al.) examines whether adolescent substance use moderates the effectiveness of Date SMART, a cognitive-behavioral dating violence prevention program for justice-involved girls. A randomized controlled trial (N = 240) found that girls with higher baseline substance use benefited more from Date SMART. These findings underscore the need for interventions that address co-occurring risks and consider risk dynamically rather than relying on uniform approaches.
The third presentation (Parker et al.) shifts focus to systemic victimization, examining the prevalence and risk factors of sexual grooming among incarcerated youth. In a sample of 6,049 adolescents, 60.2% reported experiencing sexual grooming by facility staff. Regression analyses revealed that prior physical and sexual abuse, psychological distress, and older age were significant risk factors, underscoring the need for trauma-informed protections and prevention strategies in JLS facilities.
The final presentation (Sheerin et al.) provides a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing psychosocial interventions for JLS-involved youth. Despite increasing calls for evidence-based interventions, only 51 studies from 38 unique RCTs were published over a 33.5-year period. Most focused on delinquency and conduct problems, while trauma-related concerns remained critically understudied. Findings highlight the urgent need for expanded intervention research targeting a broader range of mental health issues affecting justice-involved youth.
Together, these studies offer critical insights into improving identification of youth in need of services, intervention needs, and systemic challenges facing justice-involved youth. By integrating findings from risk assessment, intervention efficacy, systemic victimization, and research trends, this symposium aims to inform policy and practice to enhance mental health outcomes and reduce harm for youth in the juvenile legal system.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Evaluate the role of system professionals in mental health assessment for justice-involved youth.
  2. Analyze the effectiveness of targeted interventions for justice-involved youth and the role of moderators for clinical interventions.
  3. Identify systemic victimization risks within juvenile legal settings by assessing the prevalence and predictors of sexual grooming.
  4. Identify at least two critical gaps in existing psychosocial intervention research for justice-involved youth.

Presentations:

  • 2:04 PM - 2:18 PM CST
    (SYM 63) Does Substance Use Moderate the Effectiveness of Date SMART for Juvenile Justice Involved Girls?

    Speaker: Charlene Collibee, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Providence College

    Co-author: Nicholas Tarantino, PhD (he/him/his) – Providence College

    Co-author: Christie J. Rizzo, Ph.D. – Northeastern University

  • 2:18 PM - 2:32 PM CST
    (SYM 63) Assessing Profiles of Risk Using Self-report and System Records Among Adolescents Involved in the Juvenile Legal System

    Speaker: Crosby Modrowski, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Rhode Island Hospital/Alpert Medical School of Brown University

    Co-author: Tim Owens, MA, LMHC (he/him/his) – Brown University Health

    Co-author: Katelyn Affleck, PhD (she/her/hers) – Brown University Health

    Co-author: Elizabeth Lowenhaupt, MD (she/her/hers) – Brown University Health

  • 2:32 PM - 2:46 PM CST
    (SYM 63) Prevalence and Risk Factors of Sexual Grooming of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

    Speaker: Grace Parker, B.S., B.A. (she/her/hers) – University of Tennessee - Knoxville

    Co-author: Saúl A. Padilla, B.A. – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

    Co-author: Lucybel Mendez, Ph.D. – University of Tennessee - Knoxville

  • 2:46 PM - 3:00 PM CST
    (SYM 63) The Landscape of Randomized Controlled Trials for Behavioral Health-focused Psychosocial Interventions for Youth in the Juvenile Legal System: A Systematic Review

    Speaker: Kaitlin Sheerin, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Alpert Medical School of Brown University

    Co-author: Alyssa Vieira, BA – University of Houston

    Co-author: Shannon Williamson-Butler, B.A. (she/her/hers) – University of North Texas

    Co-author: Miyah Grant, PsyD (she/her/hers) – Alpert Medical School of Brown University

    Co-author: Lindsey Nichols, MS (she/her/hers) – Alpert Medical School of Brown University

    Co-author: Andrew Creamer, MLS (he/him/his) – Brown University

    Co-author: Kathleen Kemp, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Rhode Island Hospital/Alpert Medical School of Brown University