Special Education and the Juvenile Legal System : Connecting Policy, Research, and Practice to Address the School-to-Prison Pipeline

This book addresses a critical gap in our education system: ensuring that youth in the juvenile legal system receive the special education and related services they need. Too many students with disabilities fall through the cracks when they enter juvenile facilities, facing barriers that can derail their futures. This comprehensive guide provides both the legal framework and practical solutions to help address these systemic failures. Drawing from interviews with key community agents and juvenile legal system professionals—including teachers in juvenile facilities, intake specialists, and school-based probation officers—the book reveals how different community partners view the educational challenges and opportunities these students face, both during detainment or incarceration and when returning to their communities. The evidence-based recommendations featured throughout are grounded in proven research and successful strategies. By examining the unique struggles of youth at the intersection of multi-systemic involvement, this book serves as essential reading for university students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers working in special education, educational policy, criminal justice, and social work who seek to understand and improve outcomes at this critical juncture.