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, and are names given by the criminal justice system to diversion programs that attempt to help people with serious mental illnesses get therapeutic intervention rather than languish in jails and prisons. As we have stated earlier, the statistics in the United States as well as the rest of the world indicate that more and more defendants in criminal proceedings enter the criminal justice system with previously diagnosed mental illnesses, ranging from schizophrenia and mood disorders to substance abuse problems. In fact, recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice suggest that approximately one-half of all defendants have been diagnosed with a mental illness by the time they are arrested, and approximately 60% of all defendants have substance abuse problems that may have gotten them in trouble with the law. Approximately 6.4% have a serious mental illness, with women, who make up only approximately 11% of jail inmates, having twice as many such disorders. In addition, women who are arrested are more likely to enter jails with multiple other problems that stem from their child raising responsibilities and histories of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other trauma experiences. One-third of women defendants have been found to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives.

Children cope with stress in various ways just like adults. Often they do not share their feelings with the adults in their lives because they see how upset the adults are and do not want to upset them further. Therefore, it is up to the adults to help children get through any stressful situation rather than expect the children to ask for what they need. This means understanding where children are developmentally, understanding their general developmental needs, and at the same time, learning about the individual child’s needs. To do this, it is important to know how to recognize the children who have developmental disorders and other mental health problems, the family dynamics in which the child has lived, what kinds of treatment are available for children, and how these factors impact on children who come to the attention of the juvenile justice system. Box 12.1 describes the impact of trauma on a child who experienced the recent Tsunami in Asia in 2004. In this story, it is apparent that the child appeared to have been in what some call “shock” or experiencing an Acute Stress Disorder. The workers who found him used other children to help Jamie find his voice so he could disclose enough information to find his family. Jamie had a supportive family who was able to help him heal and thrive developmentally. There are still many children who are lost whose families perished in the floods that followed that disaster.