Camps to Bolster Mental Health Aid

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors moved Tuesday to beef up mental health services for juveniles in probation camps.

The board voted unanimously to approve the motion, submitted by 5th District Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents much of northern Los Angeles County.

There are 18 juvenile probation camps scattered around Los Angeles County, more than half in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys, including five camps in Lancaster and others in Calabasas, San Fernando, Tujunga and Saugus.

For most youth offenders, counseling and other mental health services are a necessary part of rehabilitation, Antonovich said.

“According to the National Mental Health Assn., 60% of our county’s 18,000 juveniles in the justice system suffer from mental illness,” he said. “These illnesses range from adjustment disorders to suicidal acts and psychosis.”

The board has instructed the Probation Department to form a planning committee within 60 days including public service agencies ranging from Health Services to the Office of Education. Other participants will include the Department of Children and Family Services, Mental Health, Juvenile Court, the district attorney, the public defender, the Probation Commission and the Commission for Children and Families.

The planning group will study methods of early recognition and intervention in juvenile emotional and psychiatric disorders.

Antonovich believes that the healthier young offenders are, the better chance they have of learning to contribute to society.

“Without proper treatment, these juveniles will continue to pose a threat to themselves and are likely to re-offend after their release,” Antonovich said.