School to Prison Pipeline

Friday August 24 2012 I will be talking about the School to Prison Pipeline.  Be Sure to tune in to the show at the link below

 

 

 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW:

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fight-for-truth/2012/08/24/vibin-with-adriane-michelle-school-to-prison-pipeline

 

 

 

FACT:

 

 

 

THE RISE OF THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE DID NOT CORRESPOND WITH AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL VIOLENCE.
Crimes against and by youth were actually declining before zero tolerance policies took hold.[1]
Zero Tolerance policiesdirectly and indirectly feed the Pipeline

• Schools rely on suspension, expulsion, citations, summonses, and arrests to handle disciplinary problems like bringing cell phones and ipods to school, smoking cigarettes, and skipping class. Students who might easily be disciplined through a visit to the principal’s office end up in jail cells—this is the essence of the Pipeline[2]
• Criminal charges are brought against youth in schools for violations that never would be considered criminal if committed by an adult

Suspensions indirectly feed the Pipeline

• A child who has been suspended is more likely to fall behind in school, be retained a grade, drop out of high school, commit a crime, and become incarcerated as an adult[3]
• The best demographic indicators of children who will be suspended are not the type or severity of the crime, but the color of their skin, their special education status, the school they go to, and whether they have been suspended before[4]

The Pipeline limits opportunities for our most vulnerable youth

• Zero tolerance and suspensions disproportionately affect students of color and those with learning disabilities
  • Black students represented only 17% of national public school enrollment in 2000 but accounted for 34% of suspensions[5]
  • Special education students represent 8.6% of public school students, but 32% of youth in juvenile detention nationwide[6]
  • Black students with learning disabilities are three times more likely to be suspended than white students with learning disabilities and four times more likely to end up in correctional facilities[7]
• School disciplinary, juvenile, and criminal records work against disadvantaged students when they apply for colleges, scholarships, jobs, and selective high schools.
• In many places, having a criminal record can prevent students and their families from living in public housing[8]

FOR MORE INFORMATION- VISIT ACLU'S WEBSITE: