PAIPA

Assessment and therapeutic intervention program for the Portuguese Juvenile Justice system (PAIPA) was a partnership between the General Directorship for Rehabilitation and Prison Services of the Portuguese Ministry of Justice, the CINEICC at the University of Coimbra and other governmental agencies (e.g., National Health Services). The main goal was to investigate young offenders mental health intervention needs in youth placed in juvenile detention facilities but also in youth receiving juvenile justice interventions within community based settings. More than 200 randomly selected participants were assessed via a structured clinical interview for children and adolescents (MINI-KID) and brief psychotherapeutic intervention was offered to 20 youth in an exploratory study. This project offered training to psychologists working within the juvenile justice system in innovative psychological interventions to be delivered to those youths. This research project contributed to a greater attention to young offenders’ mental health treatment needs.