Criminalizing American Youth: An Investigation of the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Problem Statement: The use of suspension and expulsion as a discipline strategy for teachers and school administrators to address student misbehavior in schools in the United States of America has contributed to the development of a school-­to-prison pipeline that impacts thousands of children, especially those of color, as they are subject to being dually punished for their actions, in school and via criminal charges in court as some school infractions have been classified criminal. As rates of suspension and school based arrests continue to rise, the number of students of color on the receiving end of these types of punishment, especially Black students, rises too. From 2009‐2010, Black students comprised approximately 18% of the population of students enrolled in school but were accountable for 35% of those suspended once, 46% of those suspended more than once, 42% of referrals to law enforcement and 35% of all school related arrests. Additionally, on average only 5% of White students are suspended, while 16% of Black students are suspended, meaning that Black students are three times more likely to get suspended than their White counterparts.

A lack of educator training in diversity and disciplinary tactics has contributed to this over-representation of Black youth in the pipeline, as current research found that teachers often enter preparation programs with preconceived notions about students of color but are not challenged by their training programs to change their perceptions. Without addressing these notions based on race, beliefs about these students influence their daily decision making on discipline in the classroom. These notions, coupled with the finding that teachers’ struggles with classroom management often have to do with difficulty to engage students of diverse backgrounds, inherently impacts the pipeline. If a teacher cannot engage with a student, they are more likely to become distracted in class and cause disruption that require in punishment. As suspension and expulsion rates of Black youth continue to rise at unequal rates in comparison to their counterparts, the racial imbalance of students involved in the school-­to-­prison pipeline will undoubtedly remain.