A Review of Information on Institutionalized Youths and the ECIA Chapter I Neglected or Delinquent Program

This paper reviews and summarizes available information on the neglected or delinquent youth population, on education programs for delinquent youth, and on the Neglected or Delinquent (N or D) program funded under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act that serves a portion of that population residing in state-operated or state-supported facilities. Relatively few neglected or abused children who have not been charged with any crime are assigned to state facilities; delinquent youth, who have been arrested and charged with a crime, are managed through another set of procedures in the juvenile justice system; and some youth under the age of 21, whose offenses or behavior warrant adult treatment, are adjudicated through the adult criminal justice system. Correctional facilities may offer multiple services to inmates, such as education, training, and employment. Academic instruction in juvenile facilities may constitute a major portion of the inmate's day and is often individualized; adult facilities offer a wider range of voluntary programs and instructional techniques vary depending on the inmates' skill levels. One of the chief purposes of education for institutionalized youth is to prepare them for re-entry into non-institutionalized settings, but little information is available on outcomes. To be eligible for Chapter 1 services, an institutionalized youth must lack a high school diploma and be enrolled for at least 10 hours per week in an organized program of instruction supported by non-federal funds. Program evaluation research is scant, the literature has little common focus, and findings are often not generalizable because of the limited scope of past studies. Statistical data are included on nine tables. A list of information sources and a list of 76 references are appended. (FMW)