Mental Health Services Available in the Juvenile Collaborative Court

Paul Seeman

Introduction• A former judge for the State of California, Paul Seeman possesses more

than 30 years of legal experience, including 24 years running his own firm. Paul Seeman has specialized in juvenile trials, and was a major contributor to the development of the Alameda County Juvenile Mental Health Collaborative Court.

There are three types of cases that can result in a young individual being tried in juvenile court: juvenile dependency, juvenile delinquency, and truancy. In each instance, the judicial parties involved must determine whether intervention into the youth’s life is required, or may be beneficial.

The juvenile collaborative court was designed to address the fact that some young people become embroiled in the justice system due to unaddressed mental health issues.

Juvenile Collaborative Court• The collaboration incorporates the services of various fields including

mental health facilities, medication, education specialists, and social workers.

Adolescents involved in the collaborative court system are referred by the public defender’s office and are chosen based on how likely they are to benefit from this combination of services. Once accepted into the program, the public defender remains involved, helping to develop a specialized plan for the individual, and guiding them through their experience with the courts.

The juvenile mental health collaborative court also makes use of the services of judicial parties such as the district attorney, behavioral health care services, probation officers, and civil advocates.