The purpose of this essay is to undertake a case study in regards to an agency that works and supports young people. The specific agency in this essay will be focusing on is Headspace. This essay will provide a brief description of the work done by Headspace, which will include the ‘philosophy’ the agency bases their practices on. This will then be followed by an analysis in regards to how the work of Headspace is related to youth crime prevention or how it may apply in this area. Lastly, this essay will conclude with an investigation into the strengths and limitation of what this agency does in regards to young people.
Headspace is an organisation that addresses and supports mental health issues within the young demographic. Headspace began in 2006, the agency provides mental health support from ages between 12 to 25 years of age. This agency mainly focuses on early intervention, where they provide the help young people need at a critical time in their lives, this would later help them manage their mental health (Headspace, 2020). Headspace provides 100+ centres for young people who need support with mental, physical and sexual health, Headspace also provides support for drug or alcohol problems or work and study support. Their ‘philosophy’ is based on the Orygen; The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, which focuses on early intervention, this provides youth and their families time to access specific support (Headspace, 2020). Headspace provides youth-specific mental health education, tools and access for young people in primary and secondary school, Headspace also provides training to school staff and parents to allow them to better support their student.
There is a surprising amount of people who suffer from mental health issues throughout their lifetime, however, some people with these issues could resort to being involved with crime. There are approximately 5000 young people aged between 10-17 years old, who are held in the juvenile justice system in Australia between 2006 and 2007. Of these young people, approximately 2900 are awaiting trial and sentencing while the remainder serves their sentence in these detention facilities (Sawyer, et al., 2010). The primary focus of this essay is on young people with mental health issues and their relationship with the youth justice system. Certain youth have an extreme disadvantage when it comes to finding mental health services that they need. These disadvantages could be caused by several reasons, some being homelessness, their socioeconomic background or that the young person has a dysfunctional or broken family (Hearn, 1993). The National Youth Survey conducted a survey that looked at socioeconomic factors and mental health services, this survey studied the youth of America. The study found that youth from lower-class families have a higher identifiable incidence of mental health problems than the youth from middle-class families. Although, it was discovered that the middle-class families would utilise mental health services more than youth from lower-class families. A Western Australian study later confirming these findings, they discussed improvement in the youth community psychiatric services but highlighted that youth from socially disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to utilise these services (Hearn, 1993).
Nevertheless, mental health disorders are still quite prevalent among the adolescent population in the juvenile justice system. Studies have indicated that an association between certain mental disorders and juvenile behaviour, and weak, inconsistent and non-existent association with others (Wareham & Boots, 2012). Mental problems such as Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), literature has found an association between these mental health problems and delinquency. ODD is a type of behavioural disorder where a person has consistent defiant, hostile and disobedient behaviour towards their peers, parents, teachers and any other authority figures (Wareham & Boots, 2012). Youth diagnosed with ADHD, are characterized to have lower attention spans, are impulsive and hyperactive, have a higher chance of delinquency in their adolescence and later in their adulthood, especially when these behaviours begin in childhood (Wareham & Boots, 2012). Studies show that 20 to 25 per cent of children with ADHD have gone to persist in their antisocial patterns, have gone to offending well into their adulthood (Paule, et al., 2000). Youth with ADHD, who persist with their antisocial behaviour go on to committing more serious acts of crime which include violent crimes (Broidy, et al., 2003). However, other internalizing disorders such as anxiety, depression and somatic problems, have shown less consistent finding to deviant behaviour and violence, young people with anxiety especially are less likely to commit violent crimes, with speculations that anxiety mediated other forms of disruptive behavioural problems and especially in adolescent boys (Wareham & Boots, 2012), thus, anxiety could play a protective role against aggressive behaviour. Youth with depression have been linked with have self-disruptive behaviour, children and adolescents with depression have been associated with violent behaviour such as suicide ideation or attempts and will likely have homicidal ideation in their adulthood (Abby L. Goldstein, Maureen A. Walton, Rebecca M. Cunningham, Matthew J. Trowbridge, & Ronald F. Maio, 2007).
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That being the case, majority of the state’s psychiatric services are medical or institutional, many of these institutions being large or within hospitals. Consequently, these facilities will restrict certain youth, the medicalised nature of these facilities provide a major deterrent to young people. Which would include lengthy waiting periods and admission processes, with waiting periods spanning up to two to three months (Hearn, 1993). Youth who are homeless are at a particular disadvantage, they may have difficulty with long term appointments and could be put off due to formalities. As young people with mental health issues make up for an increasing amount of the homeless population. A report conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), found that homeless young people are at a greater risk of being involved with crime, they are forced into crime because they lack the income to sustain themselves, or that they lack shelter which could result in them trespassing. For other various reasons, these problems are worsened for homeless youth with mental health problems, as they have a higher likelihood of apprehension and detention (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1989). The HRECO also noted that young offenders, after being placed in a correction facility would likely be at a higher risk of being homeless because of the lack of special programs, this aggravates a young person’s mental health problems, by releasing them into homelessness, which will therefore, enable young people to re-offend (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1989). Lastly, these facilities are more suited for adults and service providers, it would take a highly motivated adolescent to access the service without the support of a well-informed adult (Hearn, 1993).
Heilbrun, Lee and Cottle (2005) have indicated that there need to be an understanding established between mental health issues and youth offending, for treatment to be effective. As there is growing evidence that mental health difficulties are linked to later offending and further deviance (Underwood & Washington, 2016). Adolescents with mood disorders are more prone to irritability, anger and aggression. Adolescents with these mood disorders, mainly depression which take up 10 to 25 per cent of youth in juvenile facilities (Biederman & Spencer, 1999). The adolescent’s irritable mood which is often accompanied with a depressive disorder, thereby increasing their risk of engaging with more physical violence and further being involved in crime. With the high prevalence of mental health with the juvenile justice system, this would mot necessarily require treatment but rather have different levels of mental health care which vary in options (Underwood & Washington, 2016), which services like Headspace do provide. Some adolescents will need who meet the requirements for mental disorders but experience their disorder temporarily will need emergency services. An adolescent who needs chronic mental health care will need clinical care well into their adulthood. Some adolescent will function well despite their trauma while other will have limited functionality, however, regardless of what the diagnosis young people will function differently within the juvenile justice system, thus, different mental health problem should require different treatment options, which would require effective screening and assessment processes (Underwood & Washington, 2016). As mental health disorders are collectively the largest burden on the young person, however, early intervention could prove a positive outcome and can often lead to recovery (Kutcher & McDougall, 2009). This would, therefore, help young people understand and control their emotions, especially violent behaviour that could potentially have them arrested. The treatment could also provide care and support for young people after being held within the juvenile justice system, this then will help them understand their trauma and have a place that has the means to support and maybe help medicate their disorders (Kutcher & McDougall, 2009).
Youth with severe mental health issues put in a prison environment could lead to aggravated mental health problems, such as victimization from prison staff or even other inmates or the access to illicit substances and the inability to access mental health services in this more or less toxic environment could prove detrimental to young people, increasing the risk of more mental health issues or in worse case scenarios committing suicide (Kutcher & McDougall, 2009). As noted on the Headspace website, they provide care for adolescents through schools and public domains, this will give young people easier access to the service and therefore, giving them an outlet to handle their mental health issues. The website also notes that Headspace provides not only mental health services but also services that relate to school and work, this could help young people seek higher education or a job that could minimize the amount of free time they have for deviant behaviour, which also gives them income. Despite any progress in the area, there is still some limitation, firstly, the comparison between the nature and prevalence of mental health issues among the youth community, comparisons have typically relied on previously published studies relating to the matter of youth mental health, this will limit the amounts of comparisons that could be made (Sawyer, et al., 2010). Another limit that could arise that the absence of Aboriginal adolescent mental health information and studies as they are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system (Sawyer, et al., 2010), thus, limiting treatment that could be provided to aboriginal young people. Another limitation that arises is that the accessibility of these treatments within correction facilities due to overcrowding and separation from such support systems, there is also the possibility that being placed in solitary confinement within correctional facilities could worsen young people’s mental health (OJJDP, 2017). Lastly, given the limitation of support of mental health issues within the juvenile justice system, this could risk of recidivating or engaging in other forms of criminality (OJJDP, 2017).
In conclusion, it is shown that there are many young people with mental health issues within the juvenile justice system who require support and treatment. The relationship between mental health and the justice system is a rather challenging area because it is not always clear the relationship between mental health and delinquency. There are many in the juvenile justice system that could be there due to their mental disorder or being there could be worsening their already fragile mental state. Which could risk recommitting or engaging in other forms of criminality. However, several mental health care options are specifically targeted to youth, which is focused on reducing delinquency directly or indirectly. Although these services have their strengths and limitations, the strengths are that the services such as Headspace believe in early intervention and that their services are provided through a range of options, however, these options could be barred by treatment available or limitation in regards to race. However, despite these limitations, mental health is very important within the justice as it addresses both criminogenic risk and the mental health care needed for youth.
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