A discretionary grant program will help determine the efficacy of juvenile justice system research aimed at deterring youth suicide.
Detecting and Preventing Suicide Behavior, Ideation and Self-Harm in Youth in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System is a federal program funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The public health agencies are supporting research that tests the effectiveness of combined strategies that both detect and intervene to reduce suicide behavior, suicide ideation and non-suicidal self-harm by youth in contact with the juvenile justice system.
Counties, cities and towns nationwide, as well as U.S. territories, are eligible applicants.
Evaluating Juvenile Justice System Efforts
The grant is designed to evaluate projects that seek to provide suicide deterrence and intervention services for individuals associated with the juvenile justice system.
Pilot programs can be implemented at any point in the juvenile justice setting, including pre-trial detention, juvenile or family court activities, court disposition, placement or ongoing care in either residential or multiple community settings.
Brown University Safety Planning Study
A collaborative study between Brown University and Rhode Island Family Court will work to determine the feasibility of a program designed to intervene with youths in the juvenile justice system who are at risk of suicide. The study will consider the effectiveness of the program in its strive to provide outpatient mental health services to those at risk. Study investigators will follow up with families to discover if the intervention actually reduces the effectiveness of self-harm, how many families attended outpatient mental health services and how often they attended.
Applications for the NIH-led funding are due by September 7, 2019.
