Intellectual Disabilities in Juvenile Justice: The Case for Screening

Recent efforts to reform and improve the juvenile justice system have overlooked one critically important issue —the widespread failure to routinely screen for intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in young offenders. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, offenders with I/DD must receive appropriate accommodations. Yet across the countr y, adolescents and adults with I/DD must engage with the juvenile justice system without appropriate supports and often with their disabilities unknown to corrections staff, lawyers, judges, and other personnel.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research