Challenges Educators May Face Implementing Literacy Programs in Juvenile Corrections
The challenges of adopting quality educational programs within the juvenile correctional facilities are normally connected to both the incarcerated children's characteristics and the facilities' operations themselves. When the youth join the correctional facilities, they come with substance abuse problems, behavioral problems, and skills deficits. That presents significant challenges in educational programming. Additionally, the juvenile correctional facilities are normally limited in capacity to support the relevant educational interventions for the young people confined to their custody and care. The primary systemic challenges in the juvenile correctional facilities include ineffective governance structures, overcrowding, inadequate fiscal resources, lack of collaboration with security and treatment components within the juvenile facility, inadequate aftercare, transition services, and isolation of the correctional schools from the educational reform practices.
Even though the detained youth who qualify for the special education services have the right to the same procedural and substantive rights that are given to the youth in public schools, the juvenile prisons have been slow at responding to the IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and ADA , Americans with Disabilities Act), Rehabilitation Requirements Acts of Section 504 and other relevant laws requirements. Almost two and half decades since IDE was enforced to law, the recurring concern in the public schools has changed from giving access to special education services to ensuring the provision of quality outcomes for the disabled youth. On the contrary, giving basic access to sufficient special education services continues to be a problem in most juvenile correctional prisons for numerous reasons.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The special education programs in the young people's correctional facilities are adopted in a greater context of the general vocational and academic programs. Additionally, the youth correctional educational programs may not be successful to adequately educate the young people with disabilities. When they do not have effective processes to evaluate, screen, and identify the youth for special education, involve the parents, surrogates, or guardians, implement instructional methods to address behavioral or learning problems, and arrange for transitional services for the juveniles released back to the society. Additionally, accommodation for the young illiterate persons is normally not implemented in the school. The illiterate youths who do not get the appropriate special education and the associated services may be more vulnerable to school exclusion for the alleged disciplinary actions in the correctional education programs and within the entire institution.
The Challenged Experienced by the Illiterate Juvenile Inmates
The illiterate juvenile inmates' experience special challenges while serving their time and in rehabilitation. The first problem the young people experiences in these facilities are congestion. Not every country or country has adequate resources to build sufficient facilities when the time arises, and as such, the juveniles find themselves sharing the available facilities. Another key challenge that the illiterate juvenile inmates experience regarding educational programs is the lack of sufficient training materials and insufficient training course options. Many young inmates are interested in getting help from their families and believe that their rehabilitation would be accompanied by strong support and looked forward to family visits. The illiterate juvenile inmates also suffer from frequent bullying by the older inmates, and this poses a big problem during rehabilitation. Guidance and counseling services are important for the rehabilitation of delinquent juveniles. While most youths receive guidance and counseling services at the correctional facilities, about 2% deliberately refuses to go for these services.
The Study Outcomes
William Drakeford concludes by saying that the youth with disabilities, the African American males, and other minorities have the greatest numbers in the correction facilities. One of the main challenges these groups of detainees experience is the lack of ability to read properly. The study provided evidence that the youth reading skills in the correction facilities could be enhanced given the opportunity to learn in a better-structured environment. Reading literacy programs in juvenile facilities increases their reading ability and allows young people to become more productive community members. The study also focused on the disproportionate numbers of African American male juveniles detained at the facilities. Data revealed that more than 65% of the people in the correctional facilities are African American males. Data further shows that most of the young males admitted to the juvenile correctional facilities commit another crime shortly after being released from the facilities. Therefore, this study was interested in conducting studies to promote easy transition smoothly into society after their release and become valuable members of society. Several studies reveal that attainment of education is related to lower rates of recidivism amongst young persons. This study was a success in finding the challenges the juvenile's experience in the correctional facilities' educational programs. Also, the study gave valuable insights into what policy needs to focus on in making illiterate juvenile learning in the correctional facilities successful. If it were my chance to do things differently, I would provide more resources to the correctional facilities. I would give more training to educators and would also focus my attention on solving juvenile specific problems like bullying at the institution by the senior prisoners in the same facilities. Resources would be directed at decongesting the juvenile prisons.
References
Drakeford, W. (2002). The impact of an intensive program to increase the literacy skills of
youth confined to juvenile corrections. Journal of Correctional Education , 139-144.
