Bringing technology to justice-involved youth

Mertens, E.C.A.; Asscher, J.J.; Sergiou, C.-S., Gelder, J.L. van (2026)

Article / Letter to editor

Conventional assessment and treatment approaches targeting justice-involved youth have typically yielded low engage ment and modest long-term impact on recidivism and psychosocial functioning. Technologies such as virtual reality, smart phone applications, and wearable devices, offer promising opportunities to address such limitations by providing scalable, engaging and ecologically valid approaches that align well with the often complex needs of this population. The contribu tions in the special issue aim to showcase some of the potential of these technologies. The special issue originated from a 5-day international Lorentz workshop that brought together researchers and professionals working in clinical practice to explore opportunities, needs, and barriers related to technology implementation in this context. The included contributions comprise empirical case studies illustrating efficiency gains through technological support of existing practices; papers detailing innovative methods that leverage unique capabilities of specific technologies, such as enhanced accessibility and immersive experiences; state-of-the-art reviews; and a viewpoint paper addressing ethical considerations. Collectively, the contributions highlight the promise of technology as well as the need for methodologically robust research to ensure effective and ethical implementation.

• All authors: Mertens, E.C.A.; Asscher, J.J.; Sergiou, C.-S., Gelder, J.L. van
• Date: 2026-02-21
• Journal: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
• Volume: 54
• DOI: doi:10.1007/s10802-026-01428-z
• Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-026-01428-z