More Alike than Different? Comparison of Formerly Incarcerated Youth with and Without Disabilities

Abstract

We describe and compare the demographic characteristics of incarcerated youth with and without disabilities. These data were gathered as part of a 5-year longitudinal study that examined the experiences of 531 incarcerated youth from Oregon’s juvenile justice system as they left the correctional system on parole and returned to the community. Data on the demographic characteristics of the sample were gathered from files and through interviews conducted while the sample was still in state custody. We compared the two groups on 22 selected variables. Statistical comparisons indicated that the two groups were similar on most variables. The final statistical model indicated that participants with disabilities were more likely to have flunked a grade while in school, been committed to the juvenile correctional system for a person-related crime, and to have been last adjudicated for a felony in an urban setting. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.