Transition Services for Juvenile Detainees with Disabilities: Findings on Recidivism

• Published in: Education & treatment of children Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 511 - 529
• Main Authors: Clark, Heather Griller, Mathur, Sarup R., Helding, Brandon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York West Virginia University Press 01.11.2011; West Virginia University Press, University of West Virginia
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Career development; Children with disabilities; Comparative Analysis; Correctional education; Correctional Institutions; Data Analysis; Delinquency; Detention centers; Disabilities; Disabled children; Disabled students; Drugs and youth; Individualized Education Programs; Individualized Instruction; Individualized Transition Plans; Institutionalized Persons; Juvenile Courts; Juvenile drug abuse; Juvenile Justice; Juvenile offenders; Length of stay; Longitudinal Studies; Minors; Modeling; Nontraditional Education; Prisoners; Program Effectiveness; Recidivism; Software; Software quality; Special education; Special education teachers; Substance abuse; Substance abuse treatment; Teenagers; Training; Transitional Programs; United States (Southwest); Youth
• ISSN: 0748-8491; 1934-8924; 1934-8924
• DOI: 10.1353/etc.2011.0040

This study explores the effect of basic versus enhanced transition services on the recidivism of youth with disabilities in juvenile detention. The article describes the transition services provided and shares the results of a year-long, randomized, single blind, quasi-experimental study of post-release recidivism. Results indicate that youth with disabilities who received enhanced services from a transition specialist were 64% less likely to recidivate. Implications are offered for future data analysis and research related to the transition of youth with disabilities from the juvenile justice system.