Characteristics of the mentally retarded adolescent offender and their implications for residential treatment design

Abstract

While numerous residential programs for mentally retarded adolescent offenders have been established throughout this country, no empirically‐based population characteristics have been compiled which are sufficient to guide their systematic design. This study assessed 65 such young offenders along various treatment‐relevant dimensions, and used the resultant data to portray an average, hypothetical youth. Based on that profile, a compatible habilitation model was derived. It was concluded that a basic point economy, augmented by timeout procedures and supported by a secure (locked) setting, seems to be a viable approach for initiating treatment with these youth. Thereafter, programming should continue in a nonsecure group home, and finally, on an outpatient basis, in the generic community service system.

Delinquency Among Adolescents with Disabilities

“…A study (Bullis and Yavanoff 2005) of incarcerated youth from Oregon’s juvenile justice system indicates that youth with special education disabilities were more likely than youth without these disabilities to have been committed to the juvenile correctional system for a person-related—as compared to a property-related—crime. Denkowski and Denkowski (1986) find that theft is the most common offense among arrested adolescents with developmental disabilities—followed by burglary and assault. Data from the Virginia Department of Education (1996; cited in Defur 1997) indicates that incarcerated youth with disabilities are more likely than incarcerated youth without disabilities to report involvement in gang activity.…”

Program evaluation of a comprehensive treatment package for mentally retarded offenders

“…Successful treatment programs for mentally retarded offenders emphasize provision of an initially secure environment (Denkowski & Denkowski, 1986;Griffiths et al, 1985). For the RITE Unit program, extensive physical renovations to one ground-floor wing of a building at Southbury Training School, a State of Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation facility, provided a self-contained living arrangement for six persons.…”

“…A multidenomination "token dollar" economy provided several concurrent contingencies. Ten tokens were awarded each hour contingent on the absence of specified, high-frequency inappropriate social behaviors likely to be collateral to severely anti-social conduct (Denkowski & Denkowski, 1986). In addition to this whole-interval differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedule, emission of any member of the response class of inappropriate social behaviors resulted in a fine (response cost) of 10 tokens.…”