Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections

by Mary Magee Quinn, David M. Osher, Jeffrey M. Poirier, Robert B. Rutherford, Peter E. Leone

Improving our knowledge of the number of incarcerated youth with disabilities can assist educators, other professionals, and policymakers to develop more effective services for youth. This article reports the findings of a national survey conducted to determine the number of youth identified as having disabilities in the juvenile corrections systems in the United States. The data show that, when compared to the national average, there is an overrepresentation of students identified as having disabilities, especially emotional disturbance, in those systems.