Introduction -- Developmental changes in adolescence and risks for delinquency -- The “why(s)” of criminal behavior in juveniles: The long and the short of it -- Race and sex disparity in juvenile justice processing -- Major principles in a minor context: Forensic practices involving adolescents -- Juveniles and criminal responsibility evaluations -- Sentencing juveniles to life in prison without the opportunity for parole -- Transfer to adult court: Enhancing clinical forensic evaluations and informing policy -- Need for and barriers to inclusion in health research of justice-involved youth -- Toward establishing standards of practice in juvenile forensic mental health assessment -- Assessment in juvenile justice systems: An overview -- Mental health assessment of juveniles -- The juvenile forensic court clinic in theory and practice -- The history, development, and testing of forensic risk assessment tools -- Assessing juveniles for risk of violence -- Becoming more therapeutic: Motivational interviewing as a communication style for paraprofessionals in juvenile justice settings -- the junction of personality theories: Working with juvenile offenders -- Services for youth in closed settings: Gaps in services -- Implementing Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) for juvenile justice prevention and treatment in communities -- Preventing early conduct problems and later delinquency -- Treating juvenile offenders: Best practices and emerging critical issues -- Psychopharmacological treatment of youth in juvenile justice settings -- IICAPS: A treatment model for delinquent youths with co-occurring mental health disorders -- Serving dually diagnosed youth in the juvenile justice system -- Treating juvenile sex offenders -- Sexually transmitted infections in juvenile offenders -- A self-Regulation Model for the Treatment of Pathological Juvenile Firesetters -- Mentor programming for at-risk youth -- Responding to child trauma:  Theory, programs, and policy -- Psychosocial treatment of traumatized juveniles -- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among youth involved in juvenile justice -- Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among youth in the juvenile justice system: A Critical Appraisal -- Juvenile offenders with disabilities: Challenges and promises -- Ensuring that they learn -- Female juvenile offenders -- Juvenile gangs -- Juvenile forensic psychology and psychiatry: The movement toward data-based innovations.

Juvenile justice centers have a long tradition as an unfortunate stop for young offenders who need mental health care. Reports estimate that as many as 70% of the youth in detention centers meet criteria for mental health disorders. As juvenile justice systems once again turn their focus from confinement to rehabilitation, mental health providers have major opportunities to inform and improve both practice and policy. The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry explores these opportunities by emphasizing a developmental perspective, multifaceted assessment, and evidence-based practice in working with juvenile offenders. This comprehensive volume provides insights at virtually every intersection of mental health practice and juvenile justice, covering areas as wide-ranging as special populations, sentencing issues, educational and pharmacological interventions, family involvement, ethical issues, staff training concerns, and emerging challenges. Together, its chapters contain guidelines not only for changing the culture of detention but also preventing detention facilities from being the venue of choice in placing troubled youth. Key issues addressed in the Handbook include: Developmental risks for delinquency. Race and sex disparities in juvenile justice processing. Establishing standards of practice in juvenile forensic mental health assessment. Serving dually diagnosed youth in the juvenile justice system. PTSD among court-involved youth. Female juvenile offenders. Juvenile sex offenders. The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry is an essential reference for researchers, professors, allied clinicians and professionals, and policy makers across multiple fields, including child and school psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, developmental psychology, criminology, juvenile justice, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, social work, and education.