Services for Juveniles in Nebraska Changes?

An article in the Lincoln Journal Star on January 24, 2013 caught my eye. The title of the article was “Juvenile justice system overhaul is proposed”. Senators Brad Ashford and Bob Krist of Omaha and Kathy Campbell and Amanda McGill of Lincoln co-sponsored a bill (LB561) which would reorganize the juvenile justice system to focus on mental health treatment instead of punishment. They propose closing the centers at Kearney and Geneva and move to a treatment based system. Senator Ashford reported that 70% of the children in the juvenile justice system have a history of physical abuse and 40% of the girls have a history of sexual abuse. He also states that 70% of the juveniles in the juvenile justice system have a major mental illness which is undiagnosed, untreated or inappropriately treated. Senator Ashford is quoted as saying “Trauma in these children is not systematically screened or treated. We reap what we sow.” He also stated “Children who end up in the juvenile justice system were victims long before they became offenders.”  I think that it is great that the senators have realized that there are youth in Kearney and Geneva who are in need of mental health services. Perhaps if they had received the services they needed, they may not have ended up in the juvenile justice system. Many times children who have been traumatized demonstrate acting out behaviors (defiant to authority figures, anger outbursts and may have an excessive need for control). If they do not receive treatment, their behaviors may escalate to the point that they end up in the juvenile justice system. It will be interesting to follow this bill and see what, if anything, changes.

Laurie Patton