APA Services submitted comments to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in response to a briefing on June 12, 2026, entitled “Mental Health in Juvenile Justice Facilities: Civil Rights Implications, Access, and Racial Disparitiesopens in new window.” The comments were drafted in close collaboration with experts in APA’s Division 16 (Psychologists in School Psychology), Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service), and Division 41 (the American Psychology-Law Society), all of whom have extensive experience working in juvenile justice settings.
The recommendations centered on psychological services, interventions and supports with an aim to reduce racial disparities, decrease recidivism, and facilitate healthy transitions into adulthood for youth who come in contact with the justice system. In its comments, APA Services encouraged culturally responsive, trauma-informed models of care, explaining that systems which predominantly prioritize punitive policies over rehabilitation risk impeding adolescent development, increasing trauma and not improving public safety. Moreover, the comments advocated for appropriate evaluations to identify services and supports to help incarcerated youth achieve educational attainment. APA Services also cited the association’s resolution on Opposing Involuntary Individual Isolation of Youth in Juvenile Justice (PDF, 103KB)opens in new window in its recommendations. The comments are a continuation of APA Services advocacy at the federal, state, and local level to apply psychological science to address issues at the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice.
For more information, email Ben Vonachen.