A Summary of Research on Youth with Disabilities & the Juvenile Justice System - National Center for Special Education Research - FY 2006-FY 2016

Oct 15, 2026

A Summary of Research on Youth with Disabilities & the Juvenile Justice System synthesizes National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) work from FY 2006 to FY 2016. It documents how disabilities are substantially more prevalent in juvenile justice settings than in public schools and outlines service challenges in secured facilities. The summary links cognitive, behavioral, and academic risk factors to delinquency trajectories, then highlights prevention and intervention projects targeting youth violence, protective family engagement, and transitions after facility exit.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Addressing Risk Factors for Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System

Improving Social Skills and Reducing Problem Behavior through Universal and Targeted Prevention in Middle School and High School

A Summary of Research on Youth with Disabilities & the Juvenile Justice System National Center for Special Education Research FY 2006-FY 2016 Summarized by Katherine Taylor Introduction A large proportion of youth in the juvenile justice system have disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Research indicates that the prevalence of youth with disabilities in these settings is four to five times greater than the prevalence of youth with disabilities in public schools (Quinn, Rutherford, Leone, Osher, & Poirier, 2005) . National reports indicate that approximately a third of youth in juvenile correctional facilities have a disability, the highest percentage being those with emotional disturbance (48 percent) and learning disabilities (39 percent) (Quinn et al., 2005) . Juvenile justice facilities often face challenges for providing special education services and meeting the needs of youth with disabilities. This is in part due to the complexities of the population (e.g., the high numbers of youth with disabilities and the high mobility of youth), the physical context (e.g., restrictions associated with providing education in a secured facility), and the system (e.g., poor linkages among schools and juvenile justice facilities, including inability of facilities to get records of previous educational placements) (Houchins, Jolivette, Shippen, & Lambert, 2010) . In addition, there are also challenges associated with reintegrating these students into school or community settings following a stay in a residential or juvenile corrections facility (e.g., Trout, Hagaman, Casey, Reid, & Epstein, 2008) . Furthermore, youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system are at risk for a range of negative outcomes, including academic failure, dropout, recidivism, and unemployment (e.g., Bullis, Yovanoff, & Havel, 2004; Zhang, Barrett, Katsiyannis, & Yoon 2011) . Researchers funded by the National Center for Special Education (NCSER) have sought to improve academic and social/behavioral outcomes for youth in juvenile justice facilities as well as transition outcomes for youth exiting these facilities. NCSER has also funded projects focused on preventing the involvement of youth with and at risk for disabilities in the juvenile justice system by addressing key risk and protective factors across the individual, peer, family, and school domains. For instance, previous research has indicated that cognitive and behavioral risk factors, such as poor social skills, impulsivity, and disruptive and externalizing behavior problems are associated with youth violence and delinquency (e.g., Hawkins et al., 2000; Loeber, 1990) and may be especially salient for youth with disabilities that, by definition, include these characteristics (Leone, Rutherford, & Nelson, 1991). Academic risk factors including suspension, academic failure, and dropout have also been associated with juvenile delinquency (e.g., Christle, Jolivette & Nelson, 2005) and may be more commonly experienced by youth with disabilities due to exclusionary discipline policies (e.g., zero-tolerance policies) and a lack of appropriate educational supports. The presence of such cognitive, behavioral, and academic risk factors may contribute to a trajectory that leads youth with academic and behavioral problems out of the classroom and into the juvenile justice system (Wald & Losen, 2003) . This summary describes (1) NCSER-funded projects that have sought to address risk factors for involvement in juvenile justice settings through middle and high school-based prevention and intervention efforts and (2) projects aimed at improving outcomes for youth with or at risk for disabilities in the juvenile justice system. Given that the juvenile justice system encompasses a wide range of facilities (e.g., juvenile correctional institutions and specialized treatment facilities; Hockenberry, Sickmund, & Sladky, 2016), this summary will describe NCSER-funded projects that address

FAQs

How much more common are disabilities among youth in juvenile justice settings compared with public schools?

Research cited in the summary reports that the prevalence of youth with disabilities in juvenile justice settings is four to five times greater than in public schools.

What major challenges do juvenile justice facilities face in providing special education services?

Facilities face complexities of population characteristics and mobility, restrictions tied to secured settings, weak linkages between schools and facilities, and difficulties obtaining records of prior educational placements.

What kinds of projects did NCSER fund to improve outcomes for youth with disabilities involved in the juvenile justice system?

The summary describes NCSER-funded prevention and intervention efforts for middle and high school settings addressing risk factors for violence and delinquency, as well as projects aimed at improving academic, social/behavioral, and transition outcomes for youth exiting juvenile justice facilities.

Oct 15, 2026

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