Students who are adjudicated receive their education in juvenile justice (JJ) facilities. Different personnel work in these facilities, each with specific responsibilities: educators to provide instruction, mental health professionals to provide support, and security personnel to address safety concerns. When they work together, they create a predictive, safe environment conducive to learning. Challenges such as school disruptions, frequent lockdowns, and low expectations create significant obstacles for students in the JJ education system. Due to these structural and institutional barriers, educational outcomes can be negatively affected. This article highlights strategies that teachers in JJ facilities can use to improve access to educational services and support for their students. Students experience success when educators expand access to educational opportunities through flexible learning options. The article concludes by emphasizing that educators and security personnel must collaborate to provide students in these settings with better learning opportunities.
AlmquistL.WalkerS. C. (2022). Reciprocal associations between housing instability and youth criminal legal involvement: A scoping review. Health Justice, 10(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-022-00177-7
2.
BalA. (2018). Culturally responsive positive behavioral interventions and supports: A process–oriented framework for systemic transformation. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 40(2), 144–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/10714413.2017.1417579
3.
CavendishW. (2014). Academic attainment during commitment and postrelease education-related outcomes of juvenile justice-involved youth with and without disabilities. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 22, 41–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426612470516
4.
CornellD. G. (2015). Our schools are safe: Challenging the misperception that schools are dangerous places. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85, 217–220. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000064
GagnonJ. C.Mason-WilliamsL.Griller ClarkH.LaBelleB.MathurS. R.LeoneP. E. (2022). Providing high-quality education in juvenile corrections: Next steps. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(4), 429–441. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000612
7.
Griller ClarkH.HunterA.GraysonA.KrezmienM.MathurS. R.HallC. W.Sutter-LorsonK. (2024). Social cognitive career theory from theory to practice: A model for STEM career development for justice involved learners. Journal of Correctional Education, 75(1), 68–90.
8.
HouchinsD. E.GagnonJ. C.LaneH. B.LambertR. G.McCrayE. D. (2018). The efficacy of a literacy intervention for incarcerated adolescents. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 35(1), 60–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2018.1448739
9.
JolivetteK.KimballK. A.BodenL. J.SpragueJ. R. (2016). The utility of a multi-tiered behavioral system in juvenile justice: The positive behavioral interventions and supports framework. Corrections Today, 78(3), 42.
10.
KrezmienM. P.CliftW.HeywoodR. (2020). Using technology to unlock the potential of diverse learners in juvenile justice settings. Juvenile Justice Update, 26(3), 3–22.
11.
LarkinD. B.HannonL. C. V. (2020). Preparing teachers for students in juvenile justice settings. Contemporary Justice Review: Issues in Criminal, Social, and Restorative Justice, 23(4), 475–499. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2019.1700374
12.
LeoneP. E.GagnonJ. C. (2022). The imperative of high-quality education in juvenile corrections: An introduction to the special section. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 92(4), 389–390. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000639
13.
MarshR. J. (2018). Building school connectedness for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Intervention in School and Clinic, 52, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/105345121876521
14.
MarshR. J.HoutchinsD.ChristensenC. S. (2022). Using an integrated approach when conducting mixed research in juvenile justice special education. In HitchcockJ. H.OnwuegbuzieA. J. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook for advancing integration in mixed methods research (1st ed., pp. 405–430).
15.
MathurS. R.CollaT. C.PangasaS.ThompsonG.HartzellR. (2018). High school assignment completion: A case study of a collaborative intervention in detention. Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, 5, 39–53.
16.
MathurS. R.Griller ClarkH.GauJ. M. (2021). A cross comparison study of reentry intervention and support for engagement. Behavioral Disorders, 46(3), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/0198742919886842
17.
MathurS. R.Griller ClarkH.GauJ. M. (2023). Technology integration: A promising way to mitigate recidivism of youth in juvenile justice. Preventing School Failure, 68(2), 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2023.2195360
18.
OostermeijerS.TongyunP.JoD. (2024). Relational security: Balancing care and control in a youth justice detention setting in Australia. Children and Youth Services Review, 156, 107312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107312
QuinnM. M.RutherfordR. B.LeoneP. E.OsherD. M.PoirierJ. M. (2005). Youth with disabilities in juvenile corrections: A national survey. Exceptional Children, 71(3), 339–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290507100308
21.
SinclairJ. S.UnruhD. K.Griller ClarkH.WaintrupM. G. (2017). School personnel perceptions of youth disabilities returning to high school from the juvenile justice system. The Journal of Special Education, 51(2), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466916676089
22.
Skinner-OseiP.ManganL.LiggettM.KerriganM.LevensonJ. S. (2019). Justice-involved youth and interventions. Justice Policy Journal, 16(2), 1–25.
23.
SpragueJ.JolivetteK.BodenL. J.WangE. (2020). Implementing facility-wide positive behavior interventions and supports in secure juvenile correction settings: Results of an evaluation study. Remedial and Special Education, 41(2), 70–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932519897135
24.
WexlerJ.ReedD. K.BartonE. E.MitchellM.ClancyE. (2018). The effects of a peer-mediated reading intervention on juvenile offenders’ main idea statements about informational text. Behavioral Disorders, 43, 290–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0198742917703359
