The Juvenile Court Clinic Program, originally established in 1993, provides mental health evaluation, consultation and liaison services to the Juvenile Courts of Barnstable, Plymouth, Bristol, Dukes and Nantucket Counties through contracts with the Massachusetts Trial Court and the Department of Mental Health's Forensic Services Division. The Program provides emergency and extended evaluations of children and families who are involved with the Juvenile Court on delinquency, CHINS (Child in Need of Service), care and protection and related matters. Specific assessments may include the following:

• CHINS (ages 16 or younger) including stubborn, truant, runaway or habitual school offender
• Delinquency (ages 7-16 or older if offense occurred prior to age 17)
• Emergency need for mental health or substance abuse treatment
• Sex offender evaluation
• Violence risk assessment
• Competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility and/or aid to sentencing
• Parental Fitness (adults)
• Competence to proceed in care & protection proceedings (adults)

The combined sites of our COA accredited Juvenile Court Clinic Program provide services for 1300 to 1400 cases per year. Of these, approximately 60% involve CHINS issues, 25% delinquency proceedings, 10% emergency evaluations, and the remainder include the specialized forensic evaluations.

Court clinic services also include case consultation, expert testimony, crisis intervention, treatment planning, and referral for further services. All staff are licensed masters or doctoral-level clinicians with expertise in child development and psychopathology, juvenile justice, forensic mental health assessment and relevant service delivery resources.

The court clinic functions as the primary interface between the Court and external service providers. Court clinicians continually strive to develop and maintain familiarity with the resources currently available in the communities and regions served by their respective courts. Clinical staff attend monthly area team meetings with school and state agency representatives, participate in "CHINS screening" teams to divert juveniles from unnecessary court involvement, provide training in the community, and proactively engage and collaborate with relevant service providers. These efforts facilitate the provision of appropriate services and decrease the barriers across service delivery systems.

Juvenile Court Clinic Program Contact Information

Juvenile Court Clinic Program

Fall River Juvenile Court Clinic,
29 Rock Street,
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (508) 676-0090
Fax: (508) 674-3295
juvenilecourtclinic@ jri.org

Gary Dube, Director