From Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speech at the 1967 APA Meeting

06Dec09

“You are saying that all must seek the well-adjusted life in order to avoid neurotic and schizophrenic personalities. But on the other hand, I am sure that we all recognize that there are some things in our society, some things in our world, to which we should never be adjusted…We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism and the self-defeating effects of physical violence“.

Much of the mental health work that goes on in the juvenile justice system revolves around preparing the young men in our care to return to society and interact in a manner that allows them to succeed in a pro-social way. This task is made complex by the magnitude of the challenges that the young men face related to their race, socio-economic class and family of origin. Family issues can often be at least minimally addressed before the young men return to the community. Challenges that are based on race and socio-economic class are difficult enough to verbalize, let alone address, and in my experience, are infrequently acknowledged. Considering this, it is unfortunate that these are the very issues that will keep the young men returning again and again to the juvenile justice system.

In the context of the challenge Dr. Martin Luther King Jr issued in 1967, the central purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of issues around the juvenile justice system, specifically in regards to mental health.

Mahalo.

Filed under: apa, dr. martin luther king, introductions, juvenile justice, racism   |  1 Comment