Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network

The Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network, sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, was created to establish a leadership community of states at the forefront of mental health and juvenile justice. Four Partnering States (Colorado, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas) were selected to join the four Models for Change States (Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington) in this endeavor.  These eight states, through their participation in the Action Network, have been afforded the unique opportunity to work closely with other states interested in and committed to improving the response to youth with mental health needs in contact with the juvenile justice system, with the assistance and support of leading experts from across the country.  The expectation is that the lessons learned from this experience will be widely disseminated to other jurisdictions across the country, in an effort to spur the development of similar improvements and accelerate the pace of change within youth serving systems.  The objectives of the MH/JJ Action Network are to:

1. Foster the development and exchange of ideas among the Action Network states. 
2. Support and enhance the progress already underway within each of the Action Network states by providing information, resources and expertise.
3. Develop and implement new strategies and solutions to common problems.
4. Provide national leadership on mental health and juvenile justice.

For more information about the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network, visit http://www.modelsforchange.net/action/justice/.