According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, all students are entitled to a free and appropriate public education, including incarcerated youth with disabilities. Based on legal research, we discuss pertinent issues integral to providing appropriate educational services to incarcerated youth as addressed by the courts and education professionals. We address (a) prevalence rates of disabilities among juvenile delinquent populations, (b) problems facing correctional facility personnel in providing special education services to inmates with disabilities, (c) recent developments in case law regarding the implementation of special educational services for juveniles in correctional facilities, and (d) recommendations for facilitating special education programming in correctional institutions.
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