Discuss why students with learning disabilities are at significantly higher risk for offending behaviors and formal juvenile court involvement. Contrast the three prevailing hypotheses explaining this disparity.

What will be an ideal response?


Answers should address the finding that three competing hypotheses purport to
explain the findings that students with learning disabilities are at significantly higher risk
for offending behaviors and formal juvenile court involvement. The first focuses on the
idea that for students with learning disabilities school failure is a precipitating step that
leads to juvenile court involvement. Intermediary steps may include peer rejection, lower
self-worth, and school dropout. All of these outcomes increased engagement with
delinquent peers and activities. It is unclear if the disability is the direct cause of school
failure or if other factors, such as family issues, might be responsible. The susceptibility
hypothesis argues that students with learning disabilities are at significantly higher risk
for offending behaviors and formal juvenile court involvement because in addition to
learning disabilities, such students have other characteristics that may affect offending
behavior. For example, such students might have low social skills, impulsivity,
suggestibility, and a lower ability to predict consequences of their behaviors. In
particular, influence from negative peers and an inability to understand the outcomes of
negative decisions may have a key role in involvement in delinquency. The differential
treatment hypothesis suggests that students with learning disabilities are no more likely
to be involved in delinquent activities, but are more likely to be identified by school
personnel, arrested and formally involved with the juvenile courts. The presence of the
learning disability may make these students more visible to school personnel. If they act
out, they are more likely to get into trouble, which can in turn make them more visible to
school personnel in the future.

Criminal Justice

You might also like to view...

About 90 percent of all parolees are white

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Criminal Justice

Walt is convicted of manufacture of methamphetamine, a felony. He and his attorney believe Walt did not receive a fair trial. It would be appropriate for Walt to seek judicial review of his trial by the Texas:

A) Court of Criminal Appeals. B) Court of Last Resort. C) Supreme Court. D) Court of Appeals.

Criminal Justice

In emergency or exigent circumstances that involve a danger to the public, a police officer who has a suspect in her custody must convey the Miranda warnings to the suspect before beginning interrogation of the suspect who has knowledge about the

situation presenting an immediate danger to the public. Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Criminal Justice

According to the text, how do family factors impact drug use?

a. The majority of drug users had a normal and functional childhood. b. It is most common to find substance abusers in smaller families. c. Drug abuse patterns may result from observation of parental drug use. d. None of the above.

Criminal Justice