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Youth with serious emotional disturbance involved in juvenile justice systems have complex needs that often are best addressed through collaborative systems that coordinate the efforts of individual agencies. This study examines the effectiveness of a system-of-care-grant-funded community in Birmingham, AL compared to a matched comparison community in Montgomery, AL in reducing youth contact with the juvenile justice system. Logistic regression results demonstrate greater reductions in the likelihood of juvenile justice involvement among youth served in systems of care over time compared to those served in a services-as-usual environment. These findings show the benefits of the incorporation of system-of-care principles for youth with a multitude of needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]