Juvenile Delinquency and Disability
Although the juvenile justice system has made considerable progress over the past century in understanding the developmental differences and implications of juvenile delinquency versus adult criminal behavior, society and the legal system have been slower to acknowledge and respond to potential issues related to juvenile offenders with educational, developmental, mental health, or other disabilities. Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in policy and laws that have worked to better protect the rights of both juvenile and adult offenders with disability. However, learning, understanding, and implementing changes that address issues related to the implications these disabilities may have on how a delinquent functions within the juvenile justice system have lagged. This chapter provides an introduction to issues related to the discussion of juvenile delinquency and disability. General information is provided regarding the prevalence and incidence of various disabilities found among the juvenile delinquency population, as well as theories as to why there is such a high incidence of disabilities in youth in the juvenile justice system.