Juvenile justice task force says behavioral health is major factor in youth crime

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The crossover between behavioral health and juvenile justice was the focus of Tuesday's Juvenile Justice Working Group meeting.

This is the group's fourth time meeting. Gov. Mike DeWine formed and appointed members in November 2023.

Each meeting focuses on improvements that can be made to the state's justice and corrections systems. The goal of this juvenile justice task force is to get to the root of why. 

“I continue to engage, as I'm sure many of you, with subject matter experts from around the country to pick their brains about our mission and our work,” said Tom Stickrath, the chair of Juvenile Justice Working Group.

Leaders said one thing they feel the system is lacking is continuous support and treatment for troubled youth and the funding to make that happen.

They brought in experts to explain the connection between behavioral health and youth crime as well as suggest solutions. 

“We are not talking about youth who have the major behavioral health diagnoses," Maureen Corcoran, director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid, said. "We are talking about combinations of conduct disorders, defiant disorders, ADHD, substance use disorder."

Experts said incarcerated youth are getting treatment for those disorders while in facilities. However, once they are released, that treatment stops and they return to old habits.

The group talked about potential funding options for youth Medicaid programs geared toward connecting youth with proper treatment. Derrick Russell said this is exactly what these kids need.

“I was incarcerated," Russell said. "I did 13 years. I was out here in the streets. And one thing about it is, once you can get someone that's going to be consistent and show you the way, then you have a better chance in saving the youth."

Russell has turned his life around and now works as a community activist. He said he often sees mental and behavioral health as the root of why kids are committing crimes, but added that can be fixed with support.

“We call it getting lost in the system, see, because if you’re not getting solid within the system on their rehabilitation, part of the only thing going to happen is the recidivism rate, it will keep going,” Russell said.

He said that in a few months, he will be doing focus groups with youth to open their minds to paths other than crime.

“When you just look at a kid as a lost cause, then that means you just like throwing everything away. So you're throwing away the future,” Russell said. “You got to hold that person's hand and go step by step because you don't know what's really going on inside the household.”

The next meeting for the juvenile justice working group is scheduled for next week.