Post by Admin on Sept 16, 2021 20:22:57 GMT
Understanding the School to Prison Pipeline
By Elizabeth kelly
"It is an unfortunate reality that school discipline and the criminal justice system have become intertwined in this country. Trouble at school can lead juveniles to their first encounter with the criminal justice system.
Zero Tolerance Policies
While juvenile crime has gone down over the last several years, school discipline policies are going in the opposite direction. Growing concern about crime and violence in schools has led many schools to mandate suspension for those students who break the rules. As more schools adopt zero tolerance policies, there is an increase in the number of suspensions and expulsions. In addition, schools began cracking down on minor offenses in an effort to discourage more serious incidents.
Reliance on Police
Many schools have taken to relying on police for their school discipline. Some districts employ School Resources Officers (SROs) who are stationed in schools, ostensibly to protect students but ultimately policing them. However, students have been arrested in alarming numbers for mostly misdemeanor crimes. Many of these arrests would not have taken place but for the presence of SROs in schools.
These minor arrests force students to encounter the criminal justice system at a young age and set them up for failure.
Outsourcing Discipline
An increasing number of schools are referring disciplinary issues to law enforcement and the juvenile justice system. This makes it much easier for a student to get a juvenile record. Even if the punishment for a first offense is light, the punishment for a second offense will likely be harsher. Reliance on police and placing officers in schools has led to a dramatic increase in the number of students sent to juvenile court.
More Likely to be Disciplined
The school to prison pipeline disproportionately affects black students and students with mental disabilities. Black students are suspended or expelled three times as often as white students. The disparity begins in preschool with 48% of preschool expulsions being of black children. There is no proof that black students misbehave at higher rates. Many suspensions and arrests are for nebulous offenses such as “willful defiance” and “insubordination.”
Students with mental disabilities represent the majority of those who are suspended or arrested. Schools may not be able to handle the behavioral issues that come with a mental disability and instead turn to law enforcement."
By Elizabeth kelly
"It is an unfortunate reality that school discipline and the criminal justice system have become intertwined in this country. Trouble at school can lead juveniles to their first encounter with the criminal justice system.
Zero Tolerance Policies
While juvenile crime has gone down over the last several years, school discipline policies are going in the opposite direction. Growing concern about crime and violence in schools has led many schools to mandate suspension for those students who break the rules. As more schools adopt zero tolerance policies, there is an increase in the number of suspensions and expulsions. In addition, schools began cracking down on minor offenses in an effort to discourage more serious incidents.
Reliance on Police
Many schools have taken to relying on police for their school discipline. Some districts employ School Resources Officers (SROs) who are stationed in schools, ostensibly to protect students but ultimately policing them. However, students have been arrested in alarming numbers for mostly misdemeanor crimes. Many of these arrests would not have taken place but for the presence of SROs in schools.
These minor arrests force students to encounter the criminal justice system at a young age and set them up for failure.
Outsourcing Discipline
An increasing number of schools are referring disciplinary issues to law enforcement and the juvenile justice system. This makes it much easier for a student to get a juvenile record. Even if the punishment for a first offense is light, the punishment for a second offense will likely be harsher. Reliance on police and placing officers in schools has led to a dramatic increase in the number of students sent to juvenile court.
More Likely to be Disciplined
The school to prison pipeline disproportionately affects black students and students with mental disabilities. Black students are suspended or expelled three times as often as white students. The disparity begins in preschool with 48% of preschool expulsions being of black children. There is no proof that black students misbehave at higher rates. Many suspensions and arrests are for nebulous offenses such as “willful defiance” and “insubordination.”
Students with mental disabilities represent the majority of those who are suspended or arrested. Schools may not be able to handle the behavioral issues that come with a mental disability and instead turn to law enforcement."