The Deputy Director of Mental Health Services supervises the MHMRA Forensic Assessment Unit which provides psychological evaluations for pre-adjudicated and post-adjudicated youth in the Detention Centers. The Forensic Unit is staffed by mental health professionals under the supervision of licensed psychologists and psychiatrists. They conducted 2,362 evaluations in 2005 including 292 psychiatric assessments. The Forensic Unit continues to serve as a practicum site for graduate students from the Sam Houston State University Forensic Doctoral Program, the Prairie View A&M Forensic Psychology Department and the University of Houston Clear Lake master’s degree program. The forensic staff psychiatrist provides supervision and training for University of Texas psychiatry residents.

The Psychological and Social Services Department conducted 8,281 counseling sessions and assessments of youth in the Detention Center in 2005 and also conducted 197 group counseling sessions. Referrals and evaluations can be handled electronically which facilitates the provision of services and treatment. The Psychological and Social Services Department is recognized as a specialized unit, and all therapists have at least a master’s degree in counseling or related services. A psychiatrist visits the Detention Center to provide medication interventions or follow-up care. Approximately 40% of youth in the detention center are prescribed psychotropic medications at an average monthly cost of almost $14,000.

Youth that present with chronic and severe psychiatric symptoms can be treated in a special 16 bed unit at the Harris County Psychiatric Center (HCPC) Sub Acute Unit. HCPC served 124 youth in 2005 and a total of 667 since May 2001.

The CUPS 7 office is the home of the Special Needs Program funded by the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) and the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairment (TCOOMMI). This program consists of four teams made up of juvenile probation officers and mental health professionals who work with special caseloads of youth with mental health problems. In addition, a psychiatrist is assigned to the unit for crisis intervention and medication management. This program served 177 youth in 2005.

The Community Based Stabilization Unit (CBSU) was created in 2005 and follows the same concept as the Special Needs Program; however, this program is able to serve a broader population of youth (i.e., juveniles who are post-adjudicated, diagnosed with mental retardation or with substance dependency issues). This program consists of six teams made up of a juvenile probation officer and a mental health worker and served 143 youth in 2005.