Logan County participated in a 1.5-day workshop for the development of integrated strategies to effectively identify and respond to the needs of justice-involved youth with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.
Sequential Intercept Mapping facilitated by Ohio’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (CJ CCoE) is a workshop designed to help communities identify existing community resources, service gaps, and opportunities for improved service coordination and communication between mental health, substance use, and juvenile justice professionals.
According to Dr. Mark R. Munetz of the Criminal Justice CCoE, “Cross-Systems mapping is a strategic planning session intended to promote problem solving and foster local systemic change that enables each participating community to move forward to enhance services for adults with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders in contact with the justice system.”
Key agency administrators, staff, and consumer advocates from the mental health, substance use, and juvenile justice system in Logan County participated in Cross-Systems Mapping, which focuses strategic planning efforts on cross-systems collaboration and the reduction of system and service barriers with an integrated, local action plan.
In preparation for the workshop, the Logan County Planning Committee held a conference call with the facilitators on May 1, 2025, to discuss current practices and potential barriers to systems change. The Logan County Planning Committee comprises Sarah Ferguson, India Slayback, Jason Moyer, Sarah Lewis, Doug Steiner, Sarah Crumm, Ceci Yelton, Erica James, Aidan Comstock, Joe Freyhof, Emily Alexander, LJ Henderson, Cassie Branan, Magistrate Sarah Warren, and the Honorable Natasha Kennedy. During the workshop, participants developed a map detailing the flow of juvenile justice contact from arrest to incarceration, referral and access to services, and points for diversion from the justice system across Logan County. Strategies for systems change implemented by other US communities were considered.
Each year, more than 600,000 youth are placed in juvenile detention centers. On any given day, that translates to 70,000 youth residing in juvenile correctional facilities. Youth involved in the justice system experience mental health disorders at a rate three times higher than that of the general population. Nationally, 65-70% of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and over 60% of youth with a mental health disorder also have a substance use disorder. Studies further consistently indicate that nearly 30% of youth have disorders that are serious enough to require immediate and significant treatment. Youth in the justice system also have higher rates of exposure to traumatic experiences. Effective prevention from entrance to the juvenile justice system is ideal whenever that is appropriate and safety can be ensured. Effective linkage and access to community services for people with a mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorder are also critical to reduce an often repetitive cycle of justice involvement.
