The Prevalence of Handicapping Conditions Among Juvenile Delinquents

Information regarding the prevalence of handicapping conditions among juvenile delinquents is scattered throughout various educational and correctional journals and institutional and governmental reports. Research on this topic has been sporadic, and results of studies have been inconsistent. Nevertheless, taken together the studies suggest that a high percentage of young offenders are indeed handicapped, and that the prevalence of certain disabilities may be much greater among this population than among the general population of children and youth. These findings have important implications concerning the identification of handicapped delinquents and the provision of appropriate special education services.