Rehabilitating Youth in Juvenile Corrections

Juvenile correctional programs that focus solely on safety, education, and structure yield suboptimal outcomes. Youth in these facilities often have learning disorders, and adaptive challenges, have been exposed to severe trauma, and have mental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. Consequently, rehabilitation programs must be comprehensive, individualized, developmentally informed, and trauma-informed to achieve better outcomes. It is imperative that staff receive training to identify, intervene in, and report specific behaviors. This approach broadens staff skill sets, addresses the rehabilitation needs of a larger group of youth, generates data that facilitate accurate diagnoses and treatment planning, and enhances the likelihood of equitable rehabilitation for all youth.