It’s important to note that actually 60 percent of those children in the state’s juvenile justice system are struggling with mental illness. This statistic may not be surprising to those who are in the system, but it should be given its due importance when considering the goal of taking these teens from punishment to therapy.

Judge Christine Keller, the state's chief administrative judge for juvenile matters, says,"If we don't get these kids now, they're going to end up in the adult system, they are going to end up in jail."

In 2005-2006 fiscal year, almost 13,000 teens from between 13 to 15 ended up in the juvenile justice system. Most of these adolescents ended up in this situation because they were arrested or referred to the juvenile court by teachers, parents, or others due to truancy or defiance. Those arrested were charged with misdemeanors such as a breach of peace due to in-school fights, remarked Keller. Actually, those teens who are charged with serious felonies are sent to face adult court. At present, the juvenile justice system is intended for teens up to 15 but by 2010 it will handle those through 17 years old.

State detention centers found in Bridgeport, Hartford, or New Haven in Connecticut are where teens with the heaviest charges are sent. 1,914 teens in the year 2005-06 were actually sent to one of these centers. Teens can stay in the detention centers from days until months as they await slots in residential treatment centers.

"The system has moved away from taking every kid out of the home if they have special needs," Keller remarked.

A psychologist working on juvenile justice matters for the state judicial branch, John Chapman, mentioned that due to the improved mental health screenings in this recent decade, professionals are getting these teenagers into the most appropriate programs for their issues. The right program for the right issue will have positive effects on teen behavior.

Ultimately, at present the juvenile justice system appears to be more focused on treatment. Focusing on treatment instead of punishment may help these teenagers in the long run as the root problem is addressed. As long as it sticks to this route, by reacting to the psychological and behavioral needs of these adolescents more therapeutically rather than punitively, the many teenagers who react with defiant behaviors due to mental illness will be given a chance to get better.