National statistics show that roughly 10 percent of school-aged children in the United States are eligible for special education because they have disabilities. In the juvenile justice system, however, this percentage more than triples, leaving agencies searching for ways to better serve this population.

"While disability does not cause delinquency, lower levels of education and literacy are significant risk factors for juvenile arrest and incarceration," says Dr. Sheri Meisel, an Associate Director of the National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ). "Most incarcerated youth lag two or more years behind their age peers in basic academic skills, and have higher rates of grade retention, absenteeism, and suspension or expulsion."

The overrepresentation of youth with disabilities is not an isolated problem for the juvenile justice system. It has also sparked concern from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and public interest and disability rights law firms who have recently initiated class action lawsuits, including special education claims, against juvenile corrections organizations in 20 states.

While the problem is clearly defined, solutions are more difficult to come by for juvenile corrections agencies and advocates.

"These youth need and deserve quality services from schools and communities," Meisel says.

Promising Practices

In light of the prevalence of disabled youth within juvenile justice agencies, EDJJ is sponsoring an "Education, Disability, & Juvenile Justice" videoconference next month. The event will address "the multiple and interrelated reasons that youth with disabilities are more vulnerable to involvement with the juvenile justice system," according to Meisel.

The videoconference will also feature programs that provide services in the areas of education, prevention, and transition/aftercare for this population.

"While we are not identifying these as 'model programs,' EDJJ staff visited a number of programs around the country and based on comprehensive selection criteria, identified these programs to highlight their promising practices," says Meisel.

Programs receiving attention during the conference include:

* The Ferris School in Wilmington, Delaware, which provides an integrated learning environment for 72 adjudicated delinquent and committed adolescent males.

"The staff culture we've established [places] a very high level of importance upon academics, education, and learning," says Dianne Gadow, Superintendent of the Ferris School.

* Louisville, Kentucky's Project Shield, which combines community and school resources to provide students and families with a network of mental health, safety, and educational services.

* The Department of Youth Services (DYS) in Springfield, Massachusetts which uses interventions to build knowledge, develop skills and change the behavior of the nearly 640 youth in their custody.

"It's really about a concept of re-entry that's agency-wide," says George Ashwell, Area Director of the Massachusetts DYS, Western Region, about juvenile transition and aftercare. "You need to be able to respond to those issues which get kids to our front door when you let them out the back," he says.

Building Relationships

While the different agencies involved with youth have different focuses within juvenile justice, each plays a vital role in the early development of a troubled adolescent and his or her ability to succeed in life after juvenile detention.

"We want them to go out and be successful in the community," says Dr. Sarup Mathur, a Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Education at Arizona State University and an Associate Director of EDJJ. "We tend to forget that part."

"This is one of those kinds of things where we need to work together," Mathur says about streamlining the various rehabilitative organizations that exist within the juvenile justice system, including probation, parole, mental health and education.

Ashwell agrees, especially in the case of youth with disabilities, who benefit from the collaboration of organizations such the Boys and Girls Clubs and educational programs.

"The way that we connect with those organizations really creates a pathway [for the child]," Ashwell says. "You can leverage [those organizational relationships] into a much more effective strategy," he says.

Mathur hopes that better connectivity between juvenile-oriented organizations will allow for smoother transitions for children, both within the program and eventually out of the juvenile justice system altogether.

"Basically, we're all there to have effective transitions for all of these kids," she says.

Tune In

In addition to the three programs, the videoconference, which will take place on March 6 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET, will also feature panelists including researchers, parents, attorneys, and a young adult who has spent time in detention.

A phone number will be provided during the videoconference for viewers who wish to call in with questions and a summary of responses will be posted on the EDJJ website after the conference for further discussion.

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