literacy & dyslexia

Juvenile Justice

Nearly 700,000 U.S. youth under 18 are arrested annually, with many more at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system (U.S. Department of Justice, 2019). Disproportionate numbers of youth in the juvenile justice system have reading disabilities/challenges and unmet social-emotional needs.

Youth are more likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system when they have faced the psychological toll of struggling with reading, as well as the impact of community violence and exposure to trauma.

Currently, California faces major policy changes leading to an overhaul of its juvenile justice system. It is timely, therefore, for a reckoning with the inadequate supports offered to our vulnerable youth, especially youth of color.

California’s Bench to School Initiative

The UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Learning is a key partner in California’s Bench to School Initiative.

As outlined in legislation, this initiative will:

• Provide comprehensive analysis of the overlap of science and society by expanding interdisciplinary research on the legal implications of new knowledge in neuroscience.
• Promote and conduct interdisciplinary research on socioeconomic factors, such as trauma, abuse, social exclusion, discrimination, poverty, homelessness, and neglect.
• Develop interdisciplinary research protocols and approaches to expand the capacity of specialists in different fields to work together.
• Conduct longitudinal studies related to the success of teacher preparation and development, pupil interventions, and educational outcomes.
• The UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Learning will provide guidance around teacher training, professional development, classroom interventions, and curricula.

For more information, visit: calinstitute.edu

Research and Resources

Kim, B. K. E., Johnson, J., Rhinehart, L., Logan-Greene, P., Lomeli, J., & Nurius, P. S. (2021). The school-to-prison pipeline for probation youth with special education needs. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 91(3), 375.