Using Therapeutic Jurisprudence to Bridge the Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Systems

The article reviews the concept of therapeutic jurisprudence, integrating mental health principles into the juvenile justice system and the sentencing of juveniles. It discusses reasons why mental health and juvenile justice systems have not worked well together in the United States. The author describes current theories of juvenile justice and community health that would allow these systems to work better together, such as Balanced and Restorative Justice and the Child and Adolescent Service System Program. He explains how these theories can be better integrated into the juvenile justice system and argues that the best hope for therapeutic jurisprudence lies in the use of community based programs for mentally ill juvenile offenders