Developmental Language Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System

From the Introduction:

“Currently, there is an overrepresentation of youth with communication disorders in the juvenile justice system (JJS) compared to the general population (Anderson et al., 2016; LaVigne & Rybroek, 2011). Current research also suggests that once a youth offender has entered the JJS, their odds of having further involvement in the JJS increases, as does their potential for violence and poor mental health outcomes (Nance, 2016). Additionally, 76% of juveniles under the age of twenty-five who were released from prison were rearrested within three years (Stanford & Mohammad, 2018). At each point of contact in the JJS (e.g. talking to law enforcement officers, communicating with attorneys, reading and understanding legal documents, obeying rules and guidelines within the JJS, participating in rehabilitation programs), high levels of cognition, receptive language, expressive language, literacy, and pragmatic skills are required. Due to these demands, youth offenders with cognitive-linguistic disorders are at a disadvantage when navigating and complying with this system.

As professionals who work with youth vulnerable to such distressing realities, it is our ethical and moral responsibility to address the discrepancies between legal language requirements and youth language abilities in order to facilitate more favorable outcomes for this population. Accordingly, the aim of this project is to provide education on the current state of the JJS in regard to the language demands it places on youth and how these demands may negatively impact outcomes for youth with language impairments. Furthermore, this project seeks to inform professionals working with youth within the JJS on changes they can make to minimize the language demands placed on youth involved in the JJS (YIJJS). As doing so can promote more positive and equitable justice outcomes.”