THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE

The school to prison pipeline is "a disturbing national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems."

YOUTH INCARCERATION: U.S. VS OTHER NATIONS

HOW DO KIDS GET PUSHED OUT OF SCHOOLS?

• Police presence in schools
• Lack of counselors and restorative justice tactics
• Suspensions and expulsion for offenses like "willful defiance"

KIDS MOST AFFECTED

• Are already in poverty
• Have experienced an adverse childhood experience or complex trauma
• African American and Latino males
• LGBTQ identified students
• Students with disabilities

What explains these disparities in suspension?

• Family factors
• Student factors
• Education system and structure
• Bias

Implicit bias

IMPACTS OF SUSPENSION

• Increased risk of dropping out
• 2x as likely to repeat a grade
• 3x more likely to have contact with the juvenile justice system

Youth incarceration is ineffective

• 70-80% of youth are rearrested within 2-3 years
• Only 28% reenroll in school
• Incarceration is punitive, not reformative
• More likely to commit severe crimes after incarceration

Incarceration leads to poverty

Kids who leave the criminal justice system

• Lack job skills and education
• Lack social capital
• Suffer a 5-10% reduction in employment

Organizations already involved

• American Civil Liberties Union
• NAACP
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• Dignity in Schools
• Fix School Discipline

Recommendations for Change

• Policy change
• Eliminate suspensions for willful defiance
• Professional development
• Restorative Justice