Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Chuck J. Williamson

Abstract

Juvenile justice systems in the United States are using incarceration as a solution to the problem of youths with mental health disorders who commit violent crimes. Juvenile justice systems across the United States have a revolving door effect that arrests, adjudicates, and incarcerates youth offenders but fail to address the factors that contribute to recidivism. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to identify which treatment procedures were most appropriate for juvenile offenders who committed violent offenses in an effort to reduce recidivism for this offender population. For this study, an ecological psychology theory was used as a lens to view the problem. Nine current criminal justice officials from the Juvenile Court and the District Attorney’s Office of a mid-south city and county in West Tennessee were interviewed for this study. Participants described alternatives to incarceration, procedures used as alternatives to incarceration, and identified effective mental health treatment programs available to juveniles with mental illness as an alternative to incarceration, Results of this study provided a better insight into an offender population that had been institutionalized and demonstrated how incarceration exacerbated their mental health condition. This study directed more attention to an ongoing societal problem where the United States continued to criminalize the mentally ill rather than seek proper treatment and protocols to address this issue. The findings from this study will contribute to positive social change by identifying appropriate and meaningful alternatives to incarceration of mentally ill offenders.

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