In order to address juvenile offenses with the help of police officers and legal courts as well as other methods, the juvenile system was created. With the passing of time, however, the system evolved to offer comprehensive psychiatric services for those with mental illness. (Chhabra 2017, 2017). Juvenile Justice has evolved naturally to provide assistance for a wide range of juvenile offenders who have special needs. Mathur et al. Mathur et al. (2018) found that teens with disabilities have a 34% chance to end up in the JJ. Learning disorder and affective disorder were the most common disability. In addition, Mathur et al. Mathur and colleagues (2018) revealed that 47.4% had EBDs (emotional and behavioral problems) among juvenile delinquents. They accounted for only 8% of students in public schools. The JJ system is underrepresented for 38.6% percent of teenagers with learning disabilities. The current mental health crisis can be addressed by learning more about the history and evolution of juvenile justice.
The JJ changed from being a community-led organisation to becoming a penitentiary institution in the 19th century. This altered its original goal. Over the three decades that followed, the strategy changed dramatically by President Ronald Reagan’s “get tough” campaign and his “war on drugs”. (Chhabra 2017). Furthermore, children’s mental health institutions shrank, which caused adolescents to shift their attention away from the criminal justice and other systems. These systems are mainly made up of correctional facilities.
There was little credible JJS system research prior to the 1990s on mental health. In 1998, the first federal study was done on this topic. It revealed that many states did not have adequate treatment or evaluation for mental disorders (Chhabra 2017,). Administrators discovered that the prior data didn’t accurately represent the prevalence of affective disorders. In the legal system, there is a clear disparity in how mental health care is provided for adults and children.