Education Denied: A Crisis in the Juvenile Justice System
An Honors Thesis by Leah Wrazin
Political Science Department, Hofstra University
INTRODUCTION
My thesis explores how the decline of rehabilitation in juvenile justice facilities is tied to systemic failures, and how these failures affect teacher retention within juvenile facilities. Existing research has focused on the reasons why teacher retention is low among juvenile justice educators but has not offered solutions to the stated problems. My research argues that the systemic breakdown of parens patriae has created an adversarial juvenile justice system, which has lost focus on rehabilitation and, by proxy, education. This results in educators leaving their positions within juvenile justice facilities at alarmingly high rates.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Historically, the juvenile justice system was built on the rehabilitative philosophy of parens patriae, with the state acting as a guardian and intervening in situations of abuse, neglect, or other matters. Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s and 1970s, while well-intentioned, introduced adversarial legal norms into the juvenile system. This occurred through cases such as Kent v. United States, In re Gault, and In re Winship. The transition into a punitive system continued in the 1990s through mass incarceration and increased prosecution and waivers to adult court. From then on, rehabilitation and education, originally cornerstones of juvenile justice, have been replaced by punitive correctional policies and an emphasis on security.
LOW TEACHER RETENTION: PRIMARY CAUSES
1: Severe psychological distress
• Educators in juvenile facilities experience alarmingly high stress and burnout levels
• Juvenile justice educators are at an increased risk for developing Secondary Stress Disorder (STS)
• According to the NIH, around 28-30% of educators report symptoms of STS after working with incarcerated youth
2: Lack of professional development
• 39% of these educators state they “rarely” feel they receive the training necessary to perform their jobs in juvenile justice facilities
• Teachers repeatedly state their need for behavioral intervention training, with some states having 40% of their juvenile justice educators report violent incidents within the classroom
3: Challenges related to delivering special education in secure facilities
• On average, 38 – 70% of incarcerated juveniles qualify for special education services
• Facilities fail to abide by federal legislation, like NCLB and IDEA, that requires hiring and retention of qualified special education teachers
• 40% of special education educators in juvenile facilities have elevated stress levels and take a significant amount of sick leave during the school year
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Professor William Schaefer of the Political Science Department, for his mentorship and guidance in completing this honors thesis.
My thesis defense committee, for awarding me high honors for this project.
TEACHER RETENTION: INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATION
As the shift in ideology has occurred within the juvenile justice system, educational programs within juvenile facilities have suffered with the loss of emphasis on rehabilitative services. Against this backdrop, I focus on teacher retention within juvenile facilities, which is alarmingly low when compared to national averages. Studies tell us that anywhere from 26 – 47% of juvenile justice educators will leave their positions within one year, compared to just 10 – 12% of public-school teachers. Multiple studies have shown that teacher changes during the schoolyear can cause a 10-20% change in student achievement. Another study showed that students whose teachers expressed personal interest in them felt inclined to study more often and became inspired to perform better in their coursework.
REFORM PROPOSALS
• Policies that already exist in some states, but would require changes to apply directly to the juvenile justice system and its educators:
• Enhanced grant funding to increase hiring and retention of facility educators
• Codification of equal education rights for justice-involved youth
• The creation of state boards dedicated to improving teacher retention in these environments
• The development of Department of Juvenile Justice divisions that focus specifically on juvenile facility educator professional development
• Reform suggestions that have been created specifically for this thesis and to address the specific problems teachers in the juvenile justice system face:
• Support measures such as calendar restructuring and wage increases
• Subsidization of successful public-school teachers to work in the juvenile justice system
• De-institutionalization of juvenile delinquents
• Re-focusing the system on parens patriae and rehabilitation
CONTACT
