A Global Comparison of Communication Intervention Strategies for Justice-Involved Youth

Purpose: This paper explores the intricate relationship between communication disorders and delinquent youth behavior. It will explore the detrimental impact of zero-tolerance policies and their contribution to the school-to-prison pipeline. It will introduce issues, such as complex Miranda warning diction, and the benefits of including speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to aid in youth comprehension. Additionally, it will propose the integration of SLPs within the juvenile justice system to assist in communication between justice-involved youth (JIY) and justice professionals during conversations, questioning, and trials or hearings. Furthermore, this paper examines the roles of SLPs within juvenile justice systems abroad, including Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, offering insight into adapting potential models within the US. Method: Literature from abroad was reviewed, summarized, and condensed to provide the context for communication disorders and their link to the JIY population. This offers potential explanations as to why the prevalence of communication difficulties is high in the JIY population and possible solutions through the involvement of SLPs. Results: Various frameworks and SLP roles within the juvenile justice system are explained, such as modifying Miranda warnings, proposing new screening and assessments on intake, explaining the role of communication intermediaries abroad, providing communication training to justice system staff led by SLPs, and integrating response-to-intervention (RTI) frameworks that include direct SLP intervention. Conclusions: SLP involvement and the United States national attention must be given to this population. SLP advocacy was one of the driving forces for change in other countries and needs to be mirrored in the United States through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and policy reformation.