Treatment of moderately intellectually disabled delinquent youth in a Dutch juvenile justice facility with closed and open units

This article will focus on a juvenile justice facility in the Netherlands, targeted at moderately intellectually disabled juveniles, who are sentenced because of serious crimes. All of the juveniles have a disruptive disorder (conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder) and 70% have comorbid psychiatric classifications. Treatment amounts to the activation of the following five protective mechanisms: risk reduction; breaking destructive interaction patterns; increasing capacity to solve own problems; creating new challenges; and making use of basic relations. Daily routine, feedback systems, specialist treatment, methodical procedures in everyday life and aftercare are discussed.

Research Highlights
► This article focus on residential treatment of intellectually disabled delinquent youth.
► Most available interventions have to be tailored for this specific group.
► The enhancement of protective mechanisms is important for subsequent outcome.
► Follow-up in 70% of the juveniles was determined to be reasonable to good.