Serving the Special Education Needs of Students in Correctional Facilities

• NCJ Number: 86927
• Journal: Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1981) Pages: 11-14
• Author(s): S M Brown; M J Robbins
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This article identifies the need for special education programs for handicapped youth in correctional settings and offers suggestions for how this need may be met through direct services, support, and management services.

Abstract

In this article, the term handicapped is used as defined in Public Law 94-142 to refer to physical and emotional impairment that creates the need for special education and related services. While the exact percentage of the handicapped in the correctional population is not known, it can be expected that it will roughly approximate the percentage of handicapped in the general student population. In the area of direct services, a curriculum for specialized instruction should include at least academic and remedial instruction, career and vocational instruction, and transactional or interpersonal development. Such programs should be developed in conjunction with the counseling services and the institutional approach to treatment or therapy. The primary focus of support services for the handicapped should be the development of qualified staff to administer and implement direct services. Professional educators competent to apply a specific body of knowledge within the unique correctional setting should be hired and developed. Inservice training based upon a comprehensive needs assessment should be provided. Key decisionmakers within and outside the institutional setting should be aware of the presence of handicapped youth within the correctional population, the characteristics of that population, and the responsibilities for programming for that population. Their particular responsibilities in this area are to seek funding for special programs, advocate relevant legislation, endorse and assist program development, encourage the development of standards for specialized education, and seek liaison with other local and State education agencies. Three references are listed.