Page 61 - Juvenile Practice is not Child's Play

communities rather than in institutions, the following program models have successfully generated lower recidivism

rates than more conventional programs. They recognize that addressing problems in youths’ natural environments,
rather than in artificial institutional settings, enables children to learn lessons they will be able to relate to their everyday
lives.

Multisystemic Therapy: Mental health counselors work with troubled teenagers and their families in their homes
because behavioral problems can often be traced back to the family system. “Therapists seek to determine the negative
dynamics that propel the young person toward delinquency – be they poor parenting, substance abuse, a learning
disability, or attachment to delinquent peers. The therapist engages the family in strategies to overcome these root

problems, while at the same time coaching parents in behavior management strategies to begin re-establishing order
and respect in the home. During the process, therapists might refer the youth, parents, or even siblings to a wide range
of possible supports—a substance abuse program, a job placement service, an after-school youth program, whatever it
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takes to overcome the problems and stabilize the family.”

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care: This model “combines short-term, therapeutic foster care with
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intensive counseling for the natural family, followed by rapid reunification and ongoing support.” If you conduct
some research before the adjudicatory phase of the trial, you may be able to convince the judge to consider committing
your client to a program best suited to their needs by:

• explaining how the program is suited to your client’s needs;
• describing how the program functions (daily routine, staff qualifications, bed capacity, etc.);
• presenting data documenting its success rate (e.g., recidivism rate, graduation rate, GED completion rate,

etc.); and ascertaining that it has room for your client by calling beforehand.
Be sure to determine the cost, who pays, and what insurance the facility accepts (Medicaid, CHIP, etc.).

54 See, e.g., MENDEL, supra note 6, at 22.
55 Id. at 21.