Pathways to Death Row for America's Disabled Youth: Three Case Studies Driving Reform

Abstract

This article uses the case study method to examine the lives of three youths with disabilities living in the southern part of the United States who have followed a pathway to death row. An empirically established developmental and theoretical framework is used to examine issues related to the influence of disabilities and race on children and youths, and their pathway to delinquency and crime. Through criminological life‐history research methods, the study demonstrates the path taken by three youths with disabilities and showcases how the analysis of information gleaned from these life stories creates new narratives about pathways to death row. Moreover, the presentation of these narratives to legislators and policy‐makers has influenced reform in the American juvenile justice system. The combined use of life‐history research and social work advocacy provides a more effective and successful method by which to request and secure the resources necessary for intervening in the youth pathway to death row. Finally, this collaborative research effort has resulted in the passage of legislative acts that have created early intervention truancy prevention centers—centers based on the stories about these three young men in their elementary school years.