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Causal Effects of Mental Health Treatment on Education Outcomes for Youth in the Justice System

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  • Alison Evans Cuellar
  • Dhaval M. Dave
Abstract
This study assesses whether mental health interventions can improve academic outcomes for justice-involved youth. Only a limited number of studies have linked justice policies to outcomes beyond crime, particularly education, which carries large monetary and non-monetary benefits. The current study relies on detailed administrative data and unique policy rules under which youth are assigned to behavioral treatment programs. The administrative data allow for a rich set of controls for observed family- and youth-specific heterogeneity. In addition, the treatment assignment rules create a discontinuity among youth who are deemed eligible or not eligible for treatment, rules which the study exploits empirically to address the non-random selection bias in estimating plausibly causal effects of treatment eligibility and treatment receipt. Estimates indicate that certain types of intensive mental health intervention can lower dropout and increase high-school completion for justice-involved youth. Effects on grades are negative or not significant, possibly due to the greater retention of less academically-skilled students. We also assess heterogeneity in the treatment effects, and find that the effects on dropout tend to be greater among youth believed to be less academically engaged prior to treatment.

Suggested Citation

  • Alison Evans Cuellar & Dhaval M. Dave, 2015. "Causal Effects of Mental Health Treatment on Education Outcomes for Youth in the Justice System," NBER Working Papers 21206, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:21206
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Philip Oreopoulos & Robert S. Brown & Adam M. Lavecchia, 2017. "Pathways to Education: An Integrated Approach to Helping At-Risk High School Students," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 125(4), pages 947-984.
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    Cited by:

    1. Waddell, Glen R. & Putz, Jenni, 2022. "What Can We Learn from Student Performance Measures? Identifying Treatment in the Presence of Curves and Letter Grades," IZA Discussion Papers 15321, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Doleac, Jennifer, 2018. "Strategies to Productively Reincorporate the Formerly-Incarcerated into Communities: A Review of the Literature," IZA Discussion Papers 11646, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Mohd Azam, Siti Balqis & Abu Bakar, Siti Hajar & Mohd Yusoff, Jal Zabdi & Abdul Rauf, Siti Hajar, 2021. "A case study on academic and vocational training for child offenders undergoing a multisystemic therapy-based rehabilitation order in Malaysia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    4. Julia H. Littell & Therese D. Pigott & Karianne H. Nilsen & Jennifer Roberts & Travis K. Labrum, 2023. "Functional Family Therapy for families of youth (age 11–18) with behaviour problems: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(3), September.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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