Youth-serving systems and professionals increasingly recognize that the effects of mental health conditions, substance use, and trauma on youth are profound. Youth behavior can be impacted in ways that, coupled with siloed and fragmented service systems overwhelmed by needs, results in a higher likelihood of involvement with the juvenile justice system. More than 90 percent of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system experienced at least one traumatic event, and over half (57 percent) experienced complex trauma of 6 or more traumatic episodes (Abram et al., 2004). Further, it is estimated that 65–70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have at least one diagnosable mental health condition (Shufelt & Cocozza, 2006). Rightly, the focus for many working with youth has been on better meeting these behavioral health needs within the juvenile justice system, as well as at school and in the community to avoid entry into the juvenile justice system
