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Essay / The Need to Combat the School-to-Prison Pipeline Trend in the United States non-violent (Mimms, 2014). Among them, African American youth are five times more likely to be detained than their White counterparts (Micahels, 2017), and children with disabilities represent approximately 32% of youth in juvenile detention centers (Elias, 2013). These disturbing statistics highlight a national trend known as the school-to-prison pipeline, in which children are funneled out of schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. This crisis is currently what I identify as one of the most serious and persistent injustices in the United States. This mini-analysis will use Bardach's "The Eightfold Path" (2012) to explore the root of this widespread problem, investigating the country's inability to gain approval for the implementation of policies to protect and enhance American students, and to evaluate which solutions could best benefit communities across the country. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayProblem DefinitionSuspension rates in the United States have nearly doubled from an average of 1.7 million per year in 1974 to about 3.1 million that year. 2000 (Indicator 15: Detention, suspension and expulsion, 2019). Racial minority students, particularly African-American children, are hardest hit. According to a national study by the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, African American students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their White counterparts (Elias, 2013). In a review of the government report by Daniel J. Losen, director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, it was inferred that black children make up about 18 percent of the school population and yet they are in school in their forties. -six percent of people suspended more than once; Additionally, 1 in 4 black children in public school systems have been identified as having a disability, which affects their learning abilities, and are suspended at least once, although only 1 in 11 white students are penalized for similar actions or behaviors (Elias, 2013). Administrators began developing more “zero tolerance policies” for behavioral problems, leading to a stronger police presence in schools. The existence of actual police officers, known as security resource officers (SROs), has increased by more than 38 percent since 1997 and has since led to more arrests for minor offenses as a disciplinary solution rather than counseling, detention and ultimately even suspension (United States). Ministry of Justice). When an SRO refers a student to juvenile court as a disciplinary action, they are essentially handing that student over to the juvenile justice system, making it easier to obtain a juvenile criminal record. Second offenses are likely to be punished much more harshly than first offenses, leading students to years in prison, during which they miss consecutive years of school, in many cases; in addition to spending long periods away from family and home, they experience traumatic, life-changing experiences at such a young age (Mimms, 2014). Up to sixty-six percent of youth detained in the systemJuvenile prison inmates never return to school and are much more likely to end up in the criminal justice system as adults, where they are then exposed to more dangerous offenders. compiled statistics from all public school districts, most recently in the 2013-2014 school year, which found that black preschool students were 3.6 times more likely to be excluded from school (than their counterparts), and that Black girls were just as likely to experience higher rates of suspensions as Black boys (Quinlin, 2016). In addition to the racial factor, students benefiting from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were twice as likely to receive out-of-school suspensions. Education Secretary John King told reporters that minority students, including students of color, immigrant students and students with learning disabilities, are at a distinct educational disadvantage. “We all lose in many ways. We lose out economically because people with low education earn less, pay less taxes and need more services. They will also be more likely to end up in prison,” King said. It turns out that King was right: high suspension rates lead to very high long-term economic costs. The Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, released a report finding that the cost of these suspensions was $35 billion in lost revenue to taxpayers for the cost of remaining in prison and paying for treatment. health, as suspended students are more likely to drop out of school, earn less money, and become involved in the criminal justice system (Quinlan, 2016). Although increasing police presence in schools was intended as a way to deter more mass school shootings, not only is there little evidence that If the move was effective, it also proved to be a more expensive and more harmful option for students. In the first six months after the deadly Parkland shooting, legislatures in 26 states allocated nearly $950 million to improve security and recruit school resource officers. One Florida county voted to nearly triple the number of school resource officers, or SROs, at an additional cost of nearly $4 million (Thurau and Wald, 2019). NEA Today's Cindy Long conducted an interview with Byron E. Price, Ph.D., dean of the School of Business and professor of public administration at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, about how to stem the flow from school to - prison pipeline: Long: Many schools already have the trappings of a prison: armed guards, metal detectors, high fences surrounding the grounds. How does this increase the flow of the school-to-prison pipeline? Price: “More police leads to more criminalized students in the pipeline.” A 2005 DOJ study found that children are much more likely to be arrested at school than they were a generation ago. The U.S. Department of Education has found that more than 70 percent of students arrested in school-related incidents or referred to law enforcement are black or Hispanic. The presence of armed guards and other concomitant paraphernalia leads to excessive surveillance of students which restricts students' rights and creates a climate of fear. This transforms any disciplinary incident into a criminal incident” (2013). AlternativesOne of the most popular alternatives offered to out-of-school suspensions is the so-calledrestorative justice. Restorative justice is defined as the primary goal of getting students with a history of behavioral problems to take responsibility for their actions with the help of available counselors, mentors, and psychologists. A 2016 study of pretensive data from Denver Public Schools found that restorative practices offered to students during one semester were associated with a reduction in suspensions during the following semester (Loveless, 2017). Findings from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) indicate that for many students, the pipeline begins with a lack of support resources within schools and classrooms. The organization suggests that the public school system is failing its students due to its lack of qualified teachers available for teaching, security and guidance; overcrowded classrooms and insufficient funding for special education services and texts (2020). In addition to restorative justice, eliminating preschool suspensions and suspension expungement options for schools and school districts could lead to lower suspension rates and even impact secondary education. students who might otherwise be affected by their middle and high school disciplinary records. Research shows that the school-to-prison pathway is largely driven by overall suspension rates at all levels of education. Both of these alternatives could have primary and secondary impacts on students, communities, and the overall educational experience. Policymakers, at any level of administration or government, could eliminate preschool suspensions altogether. Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania and state Rep. Tony Cardenas of California worked together to overturn the juvenile justice system in the United States, arguing that there are far better solutions for nonviolent offenders. Each lawmaker focused on crafting legislation to introduce in their respective districts to support more cost-effective solutions, which they said also reduce the percentage of repeat offenders. Cardenas says: “The difference in cost is incredible. For example, the average in the country to incarcerate a child in juvenile facilities is $88,000 a year, that's the average. But the average prevention program they could return could cost as little as $2,500 a year and at most it's about $20,000...The real problem is that when we rehabilitate children, it What happens is we end up having seven out of ten. who do not reoffend. In other words, they don't commit another crime, they don't have victims, they aren't in front of a judge – seven out of ten. But when we just incarcerate… seven times out of ten, we will have a child who is going to be in front of a judge again and possibly back in prison” (Mimms, 2014). A current lawmaker in the Pennsylvania State House has considered amending the Public Schools Code to allow for the removal of suspensions from student disciplinary records. The legislative proposal came after the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District in Pennsylvania changed its suspension policy allowing a cancellation request process for first-time offenders, with much success (Cephas, 2019). While it wouldn't be mandatory for schools to expunge student records, it would give them the option to do so and create some sort of process for them to follow to do so. This alternative would not only have an impact on study suspension rates, but would allow.
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