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Improving Family Involvement for Juvenile Offenders with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders and Related Disabilities

Source: PACER Center

Resource Type: Documents and Publications

Focus Population: Family Members, People with Juvenile Justice System Involvement, Youth, Youth of Transition Age

Topics: Criminal or Juvenile Justice System, Family, Schools, School-based Services

Youth with emotional and behavioral (E/BD) and other disorders, who in many cases have not received needed interventions and supports in school, are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. This article considers how parents of youth with E/BDs can become more involved in the process when their child is referred to juvenile court, thereby decreasing the likelihood of recidivism. Despite the existing barriers to parental involvement in the juvenile justice system, parents should be informed of their youth’s educational rights in school, juvenile court, and out-of home correctional settings. In addition, increasing parent involvement and reducing recidivism is an achievable goal; several family- and youth-centered strategies and programs have shown success in keeping youth with E/BDs out of the justice system.