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Abstract:
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There are a high number of incarcerated youth within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) under the division of juvenile justice correctional detention centers, with a large percentage of these young individuals qualifying for special education services.
Sources of Data:
This study examines current research and provides a descriptive meta-analysis of studies related to incarcerated youth identified with disabilities. The two key areas of analysis were 1) demographics: percentage of incarcerated youth receiving special education services, education category, and 2) predictive and relational correlations: between recidivism and cognitive abilities, ethnicity and achievement, category and achievement, and achievement and age.
Conclusions Reached:
This meta-analysis finds a consistency in the percentage of incarcerated youth receiving special education within a juvenile correctional facility (average 35%). Based on the studies reviewed, the primary special education category for incarcerated youth is Emotional Disturbance (ED), and the predominant ethnicity is African American. In addition, studies have shown significant relationships between an incarcerated youth’s ethnicity and their academic achievement and incarcerated youth receiving special education services and academic achievement.
Suggestions for future research are summarized. |
