SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE LINK BETWEEN LEARNING DISABILITIES AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

• NCJ Number: 50951
• Author(s): J ZIMMERMAN; W D RICH; I KEILITZ; P K BRODER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 43 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-NI-99-0133; 76-JN-99-0022; 76-JN-99-002251; 76-JN-99-0021
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A TOTAL OF 687 DELINQUENT AND 1,005 NONDELINQUENT YOUTH WERE SCREENED FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES, THEN WERE ASKED ABOUT DELINQUENT BEHAVIORS. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD BE RELATED TO LEARNING DISABILITY.

Abstract

THIS STUDY INVOLVED NONADJUDICATED MALES BETWEEN AGES 12 AND 16 ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN BALTIMORE, MD.; INDIANAPOLIS, IND.; AND PHOENIX, ARIZ.; AND ADJUDICATED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS (581 BOYS AND 104 GIRLS AGED 12 TO 17) SELECTED FROM TRAINING SCHOOLS IN EACH OF THESE STATES. THE FIRST SECTION OF THE PAPER REVIEWS PREVIOUS STUDIES WHICH FIND A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING DISABILITY AND DELINQUENCY. THEN THE SCREENING PROCESS USED TO DETERMINE LEARNING DISABILITY IS DESCRIBED. THE SELF-REPORTNG INSTRUMENT USED TO MEASURE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR IS BRIEFLY EXPLAINED. IT WAS FOUND THAT 18 PERCENT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP AND 33 PERCENT OF THE DELINQUENT GROUP WERE CLASSIFIED AS LEARNING DISABLED. WITHIN THE DELINQUENT GROUP, 34 PERCENT OF THE BOYS AND 24 PERCENT OF THE GIRLS TESTED AS LEARNING DISABLED. THIS TENDS TO SUPPORT RESEARCH INDICATING A LINK BETWEEN LEARNING DISABILITY AND DELINQUENCY. HOWEVER, THE SELF-REPORTED BEHAVIOR SCORES SHOWED NO RELATIONSHIP TO LEARNING DISABILITY. THE DELINQUENTS' REPORTED BEHAVIORS WERE MORE SERIOUS THAN THOSE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEARNING-DISABLED AND NONLEARNING-DISABLED DELINQUENTS. WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP, AGAIN, THERE WAS NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DELINQUENCY SCORE AND LEARNING DISABILITY. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LARGER NUMBER OF LEARNING-DISABLED CHILDREN AMONG ADJUDICATED DELINQUENTS MAY BE DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY SUCH CHILDREN ARE TREATED IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. CHARTS AND TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. FOR THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT, OF WHICH THIS IS AN UPDATE, SEE NCJ-46417. (GLR)