By VICKI URBANIK

Juvenile court officials from throughout Indiana gathered Friday to learn more about a Porter County program aimed at addressing the mental health needs of juvenile offenders instead of requiring that the kids go through the normal court process.

Porter County began the program – known as the Mental Health Diversion Project – in late 2005, after Porter County Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper and other juvenile officials learned about a similar program in Santa Clara County, California.

Porter County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Amy Beier said officials were interested in starting a diversion program here after seeing a significant number of juveniles who seemed to be dealing with mental health issues. Months into probation, she said, officials could see things unravel with the kids, later forcing them to play “catch up” in terms of the best way to handle the cases.

At a seminar on Friday in Valparaiso, juvenile court officials heard the details of how the program works in Porter County. The audience members included representatives from five other Indiana counties selected in a pilot program for juvenile assessment and treatment: Lake, Johnson, Bartholomew, Clark and Marion.

Under Porter County’s project, all juveniles referred to the Porter County Probation Department or placed in detention undergo a mental health screening. If officials suspect a mental health issue, either because of that initial screening or due to interviews, the juvenile could be referred to the diversion project.

A team of officials -- including the prosecutor -- reviews each case before deciding if a juvenile should be accepted. The prosecutor has complete veto power: If he wants to proceed with charges, then the juvenile is not placed in diversion.

Kids who are ultimately accepted receive treatment through one of the two providers, the Family & Youth Services Bureau or Porter-Starke Services. In addition, they and their families meet regularly, at least on a weekly basis, with Porter County Juvenile Probation Officer Kate Sorenson.

Because the kids are in a diversion program, their case is not like a typical juvenile offender’s. There is no court case opened, and the kids who complete the program don’t have a juvenile record.

Types of Kids

Beier said officials knew they were on the right track early on in the project because of a few specific cases. In one, a teenaged girl who had no prior record and who was a good student got into a crash while intoxicated. Officials later learned that a few weeks earlier, the girl was drugged at a party and gang-raped, resulting in a marked change in her behavior.

In that case, court officials determined that the girl should not be put through detention and probation, but needed treatment for her trauma.

The mental health diversion project is an extension of the programs offered after Porter County was selected as one of three in Indiana to begin a Family Court in 2000.

Since the diversion project began in October 2005, 130 juveniles have been referred, but only half – 66 – have been accepted. Not including the pending cases or the 17 currently involved, 67 percent successfully completed the project. And of those, just three, or 9 percent, have seen new charges filed against them, which Beier said is a very low recidivism rate.

Most of the kids involved have never been in trouble before. They are also deemed high risk due to their mental health issue.

Before a juvenile is placed in the program, a team of court officials must make the critical determination that the mental health problem contributed significantly to the delinquent act.

Kids in diversion have a number of diagnoses, with depression topping the list by far. Other diagnoses have included bi-polar, conduct disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit.

The reasons why juveniles aren’t accepted into the program can vary, including the seriousness of the offense or the attitude of the juvenile and family members. For some kids, Beier said, the heavy hammer of court involvement is deemed necessary.

Sorenson said it’s important that parents buy into the program. “If the parents don’t comply, working with this program is very difficult,” she said.

In three cases, the parent refused to sign the required contract to participate in the program. Sorenson said most families are glad to have the help offered. She also noted that unlike typical adjudication proceedings, there are no court fees involved; the only fees are those charged by the provider agencies.

Juvenile Programming Director Allison Cox said even if a juvenile isn’t accepted into the program, court officials are “ahead of the game” with the individual cases, since they learn a great deal about the issues facing the juvenile offenders and their families.

Making it Work

Officials emphasized at Friday’s seminar that to make the mental health diversion project a success requires a “buy in” from several partners.

“We can’t do what we do in our mental health diversion project without our partners,” Cox said.

FYSB Executive Director Dennis Morgan credited the leadership provided by Judge Harper in instituting the program. He also said that unlike many other counties, Porter County has placed an emphasis on youth. For example, seasoned prosecutors and public defenders work on juvenile cases here, while in other counties, the juvenile caseload often is given to lower level staff.

“This is a community involvement,” said Chief Public Defender James Tsoutsouris, who said the effort involves a broad commitment, from elected county officials who control funding to those who serve as the “gate keepers.” He also noted that when his office finds itself defending the children of people in the system 20 years ago, “it’s a cycle you want to stop.”

Gensel said Porter County has benefited by having continuity among staff members. Noting that he started off as a prosecutor in juvenile court, Gensel said the prosecutor’s office is keenly interested in finding ways to prevent juvenile offenders from eventually “graduating” to adult court.

“If we can nip that in the bud, my office has always been on board with that,” he said.

Posted 6/16/2008