Abstract
For youth with disabilities within the juvenile justice system, transition is multifaceted and can constitute movement from facility to facility or education placement to placement. However, within a juvenile justice context, transition is also a legal term of art that derives from a set of interrelated laws, policies, and procedures that guide juvenile justice system professionals’ transition practices and serves as a foundation for service delivery and associated youth outcomes. For youth with emotional disturbance (ED) or related conditions, transition also incorporates the process of migrating mental or behavioral health treatment or supports upon reentry. However, youth support during all facets of transition (e.g., compliance with legal transition mandates, placement, service continuity) is often insufficient to help youth transition successfully. Related to this, juvenile justice system professionals often struggle to use law and policy to guide their pre- and postrelease transition planning across education, mental and behavioral health, employment, and mentoring supports. Using a legal compliance focal point theoretical perspective, this article first explores the relevant legal provisions that address prerelease transition supports for youth with disabilities within the juvenile justice system. It then offers suggestions for building a framework to bridge the gap between legal compliance and transition support across the pre- and postrelease transition spectrum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aalsma, M. C., Brown, J. R., Holloway, E. D., & Ott, M. A. (2014). Connection to mental health care upon community reentry for detained youth: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 14, 1471–2458. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/117
Abrams, L. S., & Snyder, S. M. (2010). Youth offender reentry: Models for intervention and directions for future inquiry. Children & Youth Services Review, 32(12), 1787–1795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.07.023.
Altschuler, D. M., & Brash, R. (2004). Adolescent and teenage offenders confronting the challenges and opportunities of reentry. Youth Violence & Juvenile Justice, 2(1), 72–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204003260048.
Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2009-title42/html/USCODE-2009-title42-chap126.htm
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2020). FAQs about the train-the-trainer opportunity for reimagining juvenile justice. Author. https://www.aecf.org/work/juvenile-justice/jdai/faqs-about-the-train-the-trainer-opportunity-for-reimagining-juvenile-justi/#one
Anthony, E. K., Samples, M. D., de Kervor, D. N., Ituarte, S., Lee, C., & Austin, M. J. (2010). Coming back home: The reintegration of formerly incarcerated youth with service implications. Children & Youth Services Review, 32(10), 1271–1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.04.018.
Council of State Governments. (2018). Leveraging the Every Student Succeeds Act to improve educational services in juvenile justice facilities. https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Leveraging-the-Every-Student-Succeeds-Act-to-Improve-Outcomes-for-Youth-in-Juvenile-Justice-Facilities.pdf
Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq. (2015). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-114publ95/pdf/PLAW-114publ95.pdf
Gagnon, J. C., Read, N. W., & Gonsoulin, S. (2015). Key considerations in providing a free appropriate public education for youth with disabilities in juvenile justice secure care facilities. The National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth (NDTAC). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED571826.pdf
Gonsoulin, S., & Read, N. W. (2011). Improving educational outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems through interagency communication and collaboration. National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED533050.pdf
Griller Clark, H., Mathur, S. R., Brock, L., O’Cummings, M., & Milligan, D. (2016). Transition toolkit 3.0: Meeting the educational needs of youth exposed to the juvenile justice system. National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk (NDTAC). https://www2.ed.gov/students/prep/juvenile-justice-transition/transition-toolkit-3.pdf
Griller Clark, H., Mathur, S. R., & Helding, B. (2011). Transition services for juvenile detainees with disabilities: Findings on recidivism. Education & Treatment of Children, 34(4), 511–529. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42900131
Griller Clark, H., & Unruh, D. (2010). Transition practices for adjudicated youth with E/BDs and related disabilities. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1), 43–51. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43153829
Harrison, A. J., Jakubowski, J. A., Abram, K. M., Teplin, L. A., & Welty, L. J. (2020). Patterns of incarceration among youth after detention: A 16-year longitudinal study. Children & Youth Services Review, 108, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104516.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004). https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter33&edition=prelim
Jonson-Reid, M. (2000). Understanding confidentiality in school-based interagency projects. Children & Schools, 22(1), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/22.1.33.
Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq. (2018). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg1109.pdf
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. (2015). Federal juvenile justice funding declines precipitously. Author. https://jjie.org/2015/02/12/federal-juvenile-justice-funding-declines-precipitously/
Kubek, J. B., Tindall-Biggins, C., Reed, K., Carr, L. E., & Fenning, P. A. (2020). A systematic literature review of school reentry practices among youth impacted by juvenile justice. Children & Youth Services Review, 110, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104773.
Leiber, M. J., Schwarze, K., Mack, K. Y., & Farnworth, M. (2002). The effects of occupation and education on punitive orientations among juvenile justice personnel. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(4), 303–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2352(02)00131-9.
Liebenberg, L., & Ungar, M. (2014). A comparison of service use among youth involved with juvenile justice and mental health. Children & Youth Services Review, 39, 117–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.02.007.
Loughran, T. A., Mulvey, E. P., Schubert, C. A., Fagan, J., Piquero, A. R., & Losoya, S. H. (2009). Estimating a dose-response relationship between length of stay and future recidivism in serious juvenile offenders. Criminology, 47(3), 69–740. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2009.00165.x.
Madaus, J. W., & Shaw, S. F. (2008). The role of school professionals implementing Section 504 for students with disabilities. Educational Policy, 22(3), 363–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904807307069.
Mathur, S. R., Griller Clark, H., & Schoenfeld, N. (2009). Professional development: A capacity-building model for juvenile correctional education system. Journal of Correctional Education, 60(2), 164–185. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23282723
McAdams, R. H. (2019). The expressive power of rabbinic law. Villanova Law Review, 64(5), 725–732. https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/vlr/vol64/iss5/8
McAdams, R. H., & Nadler, J. (2008). Coordinating in the shadow of the law: Two contextualized tests of the focal point theory of legal compliance. Law & Society Review, 42(4), 865–898. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5893.2008.00361.x
Miller, A., & Therrien, W. J. (2018). Returning home: Reducing recidivism for juvenile offenders with disabilities through transition planning. Beyond Behavior, 27(2), 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074295618766517.
Miller, A. A., Therrien, W. J., & Romig, J. E. (2019). Reducing recidivism: Transition and reentry practices for detained and adjudicated youth with disabilities. Education & Treatment of Children, 42(3), 409–438. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2019.0019.
National Center for Mental Health & Juvenile Justice. (2013). Better solutions for youth with mental health needs in the juvenile justice system. Author. https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Whitepaper-Mental-Health-FINAL.pdf
Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention. (2019a). Arrests of juveniles in 2018 reached the lowest level in nearly 4 decades. Author. https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/snapshots/DataSnapshot_UCR2018.pdf
Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention. (2019b). Key amendments to the Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention Act made by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018. Author. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/252961.pdf
Prison Policy Initiative. (2019). Youth confinement: The whole pie 2019. Author. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/youth2019.html
Quinn, M. M., Rutherford, R. B., Leone, P. E., Osher, D. M., & Poirier, J. M. (2005). Youth with disabilities in juvenile corrections: A national survey. Exceptional Children, 71(3), 339–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290507100308.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (1973). https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/rehab/rehabilitation-act-of-1973-amended-by-wioa.pdf
Swank, J. M., & Gagnon, J. C. (2016). Mental health services in juvenile correctional facilities: A national survey of clinical staff. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(9), 2867–2872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0436-3.
U.S. Department of Education. (2014). Dear Colleague letter on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for students with disabilities in correctional facilities. Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/correctional-education/idea-letter.pdf
U.S. Department of Education & U.S. Department of Justice. (2014). Guiding principles for providing high-quality education in juvenile justice secure care settings. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/correctional-education/guiding-principles.pdf
Funding
This research received funding from the Spencer Foundation (202000038) and the NYU Institute of Human Development and Social Change (20-56510-STR18-M7708).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
This article complies with all relevant ethical standards.
Conflict of Interest
There are no conflicts of interest for this article.
Ethical Approval
N/A
Informed Consent
N/A
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Strassfeld, N.M. Transition for System-Involved Youth with Disabilities: Law, Compliance, and Support. Educ. Treat. Child. 44, 37–47 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-021-00036-4
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-021-00036-4