The Indiana Supreme Court in State v. L.T., No. 20S03-1309-JV-583, referenced JauNae Hanger’s work on the Indiana State Bar Association’s Children, Mental Health and the Law Summit; and the Indiana Juvenile Mental Health Screening, Assessment and Treatment Project, which grew from the Summit. Ms. Hanger helped lead the ISBA’s effort to provide mental health screening and care for children entering the juvenile justice system, and to enact a law “that prevents the use of information obtained through screening, assessment or treatment” to be used against the child in subsequent delinquency proceedings. That law and the Project have changed the way juvenile offenders with mental health issues are treated in the juvenile justice system. Statistics show that nearly half of detained juveniles have mental health or substance abuse problems. The Project helps them obtain treatment and care, and the Indiana Supreme Court’s holding protects their constitutional rights and encourages active participation in treatment. A pdf version of the opinion is available at:

http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/03121401LHR.pdf