School Outcomes in Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System: A Justification for School-Based Transitional Support

Abstract

This thesis aims to provide a justification for the necessity of transitional support in schools for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Through a literature review, it shows a disparity in the school outcomes and achievements of juvenile justice-involved youth and their peers, as well as possible reasons for this disparity. It also outlines the importance of school experiences and completion for these youth. Lastly, it aims to ground these findings in a local context, comparing the criminal referrals and graduation rates for the cities of Eugene and Springfield to a county, state, and national context, as well as assessing the criminal referrals at the seven comprehensive public high schools in Eugene and Springfield as compared to their respective graduation rates.