Juvenile Justice

There is an over-representation of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system — those at-risk for contact with the courts or those that are already involved with the system. Ohio Legal Rights Service (LRS) works to collaborate with juvenile court officials and the Ohio Judicial College to provide information and education to court personnel on the rights of children with disabilities through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). 

Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System Tutorial

The Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System tutorial was developed by LRS and is designed for Guardian ad Litems, attorneys, court personnel, parents and others working with students with disabilities in the juvenile justice system. The tutorial's purpose is to stop the school-to-prison pipeline and covers:

• the rights of students with disabilities;
• special education and related services, including behavioral supports;
• the responsibilities of local school districts; and
• what advocates can do to stop the school-to-prison pipeline.

Start the tutorial: Special Education and Juvenile Justice System Tutorial

Other Websites

• Center for the Promotion of Mental Health in Juvenile Justice
• Dignity in Schools
• Models for Change: Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice
• NAMI - Juvenile Justice & Child Welfare
• National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
• National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice
• National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent or At Risk (NDTAC)
• National Juvenile Justice Network
• Office of Juvenile Justice and and Delinquency Prevention
• Rethink Learning Now Campaign
• SchooltoPrison.org
• Stop the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track
• The OCR as a Tool in Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline
• Traumatic Brain Injury and the U.S. Criminal Justice System (PDF file)

Publications

• Conditions of Confinement: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (PDF file) (U.S. Department of Justice)
• Evaluating Juvenile Justice in Ohio - A Report Card (PDF file) (American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio)
• Federal Policy, ESEA Reauthorization, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline (PDF file) (Advancement Project)
• Healing Invisible Wounds:
 Why Investing in Trauma-Informed Care for Children Makes Sense (Justice Policy Institute)
• How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline (National Center for Fair and Open Testing)
• Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2009 (Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics)
• Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System (PDF file) (National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth)
• Mapping and Analyzing the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track: An Action Kit for Understanding How Harsh School Discipline Policies and Practices Are Impacting Your CommunityAction Kit (PDF file) (Advancement Project)
• Reentry Programs for Students with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System (PDF file) (Project Forum at NASDSE)
• School-to-Prison Pipeline: Middle School Suspensions Unfair and Ineffective (Reclaiming Futures)
• Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Law (PDF file) (Southern Disability Law Center)
• The Role of Specialty Mental Health Courts in Meeting the Needs of Juvenile Offenders (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law)
• The School-to-Prison Pipeline ... and Back: Obstacles and Remedies for the Re-Enrollment of Adjudicated Youth (PDF file)
• The School-to-Prison Pipeline Symposium (New York Law School)

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