Advancing Health Initiatives for Justice Involved Families
We’re on a mission to create pathways to health and hope for every family. As the only children’s hospital in the nation advancing this work at such depth and scale, we’re committed to setting a new standard for care and advocacy.
Families affected by the justice system often face serious health and developmental challenges. Throughout the country, more than 5 million children have experienced a parent’s incarceration at some point, and approximately 2.7 million children are currently navigating this reality.
That’s why researchers, clinicians and community partners across our organization are working together to better understand these challenges and provide compassionate, evidence-based care and support.
Our efforts include:
- Innovative research to reveal the health impacts of justice involvement and identify solutions
- Specialized clinical programs designed to meet the needs of youth navigating incarceration
- Providing resources and support to families impacted by an incarcerated parent or caregiver
- Dedicated resources and committees focused on reducing barriers and promoting resilience
Recent Accomplishments
Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center
- 70 juvenile justice staff trained in suicide prevention, strengthening trauma-informed, facility-wide responses to youth mental health crisis
- 293 youth served through on-site medical, behavioral health and care coordination services
- 163 new youth enrolled in Partners For Kids Care Coordination in 2025
- Continuity of care ensured for youth transferred to another county detention center, including medication management, psychiatry services and annual physicals
- Naloxone education and overdose reversal tools provided to all youth exiting the facility, expanding harm-reduction and re-entry safety through Project DAWN
- And many more efforts across clinical care, prevention, care coordination and systems improvement
Community-Based
- Fatherhood programs in local correctional facilities that help families spend time together during special visit days, while also offering support and resources to caregivers, with help from community partners and Department of Justice funding
- Launched New Roots to Fatherhood, a community-based program to help formerly incarcerated fathers in strengthening family connections, parenting skills and accessing peer support
Our work does more than meet urgent needs. It helps change the system and shows how health care organizations can support justice-involved families in better, fairer ways.
Overview of Programs
The Adolescent Medicine team includes physicians, advance practice providers and nurses who provide on-site medical care 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.
They address both routine and urgent medical needs during a youth’s stay, with a focus on promoting overall health and well-being while reducing health disparities for justice-involved youth.
The Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice team assesses youth referred by juvenile court staff to identify behavioral health needs and connect them to appropriate mental health services.
The team also includes a full-time therapist who provides individual and group treatment to youth detained at the Juvenile Intervention Center, supporting healing and helping reduce repeat involvement with the justice system.
Partners For Kids, a Nationwide Children's Hospital affiliated accountable care organization, provides specialized care coordination for justice-involved youth and families.
A dedicated team of social work care coordinators partner closely with the Franklin County Juvenile Court and Juvenile Intervention Center to deliver personalized, connected support in health care, education and social needs—meeting families right where they are.
The Center for Family Safety and Healing provides comprehensive evaluation and management of child maltreatment, offering inpatient and outpatient services.
Key services include:
- Child Assessment Center
- Fostering Connections Program
- Non-Accidental Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic
- Inpatient consultations for suspected child maltreatment
Children of Incarcerated Parents support youth and families impacted by the justice system by providing resources, mentorship and advocacy to address the medical, emotional, social and educational challenges associated with parental incarceration.
Nationwide Children’s works to reduce justice system involvement by addressing root causes and strengthening neighborhood protective factors. Through community wellness initiatives, efforts focus on:
- Home repair and housing affordability
- Financial literacy and match savings
- Workforce development training
- School-based safety initiatives
- Program for formerly incarcerated fathers
The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) is a statewide initiative that helps reduce unintended pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted infections among Ohio youth.
Staff deliver a fun, interactive curriculum inside the Juvenile Intervention Center, equipping youth with knowledge and skills to support healthy decision-making and successful transition to adulthood.
Health Justice Research & Clinical Initiatives
Nationwide Children's researchers and clinicians are actively participating in health justice research and initiatives across various departments and centers, including:
- Behavioral Health
- Center for Injury Research and Policy
- Family Violence Prevention Research Affinity Group
- Fostering Connections
- Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research
- The Center for Family Safety and Healing
- Juvenile Intervention Center
- Primary Care
We also work in partnership with local and state collaborators, including: Franklin County Community-Based Correctional Facility, Franklin County Board of Commissioners Office of Justice Policy and Programs, Franklin County Reentry Advisory Board, Juvenile Justice Coalition and the statewide Taskforce on Juvenile Justice and Mental Health.
