The School-to-Prison Pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline is a theory that describes the phenomenon where a disproportionate number of students from marginalized communities, particularly students of color, are funneled from the school system to the criminal justice system This pipeline is created by a combination of policies, practices, and attitudes that treat children in schools as potential criminals rather than as learners who may have behavioral or emotional issues that need support

The policies and practices that are directly and indirectly pushing students of color out of school and on a pathway to prison, including, but not limited to: 62

Harsh school discipline policies that overuse suspension and expulsion

Increased policing and surveillance that create prison-like environments in schools

Over-reliance on referrals to law enforcement and the juvenile justice system

An alienating and punitive high-stakes testing-driven academic environment

Connections to consider

Third grade reading scores and high school drop out rates

Literacy skills and incarceration rates

And children and youth...

Not reading by third grade = 4 times less likely to graduate high school on time (or 6 times less likely for low income families

Dropping out of high school = 63 times more likely to be incarcerated than college grads

Nationwide, young people of color have far higher incarceration rates than their white counterparts black youth are 46 times more likely to be incarcerated, Native Americans are 33 times more likely, and Latino youth are 1.7 times more likely, according to 2013 data from the U.S. Justice Department.

“Many of the kids who end up in the juvenile justice system, the vast majority of them have been exposed to high doses of adversity Screening is the key to prevention, not just for illness but for jail time, too. We’re looking at it from a health standpoint, but we know for a fact that if we’re screening for ACEs and doing effective intervention, it’s going to impact justice outcomes.”

- Nadine Burke Harris, M.D. Pediatrician, Former Surgeon General of California

The preschool to prison pipeline suggests that children can be pushed towards incarceration from an early age. Even before leaving their cribs, children as young as eight months old can be suspended or expelled from childcare programs for typical behaviors such as crying or biting

Preschool-aged children are at a higher risk of suspension or expulsion, with three times the likelihood compared to K-12 students. This means that children can face suspensions from before even reaching their toddler years, with further suspensions possible at ages two and three for behavior such as throwing tantrums.