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School to Prison Pipeline

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School to Prison Pipeline
Topic: School-to-Prison Pipeline Research Paper
What is meant by the school-to-prison pipeline?
What are ways to address this problem?

The school-to-prison pipeline is a devastating part of reality for all too many students. The pipeline in definition is simply a term representing the tendency for certain students to easily end up in prison during or shortly after schooling. To decrease this tendency, it is important that teachers are aware of the issue and that the community as a whole works to implement policies that actually work, and eliminate the ones that strengthen the pipeline. Looking specifically at the pipeline amongst individuals with disabilities, it is evident that the population of those with disabilities is highly overrepresented within the prison system (Elias, 2013). Part of understanding the pipeline involves understanding the prevalence of minorities in the pipeline, looking at school’s zero tolerance policies and knowing what teachers can do in order to diminish the pipeline.
Effects on Minorities - Disability
Minorities, including students with disabilities, are most at risk for becoming part of this pipeline. Students that have learning disabilities or emotional disabilities are often times both in the lower testing category and seen as more difficult to teach, which targets these students by increasing the likelihood that they will get into the pipeline. Students with disabilities that show even remote delinquent behavior are much more at risk to enter detention centers (Kim, C. Y., Losen, D. J., & Hewitt, D, 2010). Instead of staff being encouraged to help students and work to resolve issues they may have that is causing delinquent behavior, (which may simply be a quick fix issue or a matter of needing someone to talk to) schools put them into the prison system (Wald, J. M., & Losen, D. J, 2003). Having disabilities often impacts success when not given proper instruction (Ruppar, 2013). When


References: Chongmin Na & Denise C. Gottfredson (2011): Police officers in schools: effects on school crime and the processing of offending behaviors, Justice Quarterly, DOI:10.1080/ 07418825.2011.615754 Coggshall, J Cole, H. A., & Heilig, J. (2011). Developing a school-based youth court: a potential alternative to the school to prison pipeline. Journal Of Law & Education, 40(2), 305-321. Elias, M. (2013, Spring). The School-to-Prison Pipeline. Teaching Tolerance. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-43-spring-2013/school-to-prison Fancher, M Halkett, K. (Adapter). (2012). The US 's school to prison pipeline [Video]. US: Inside Story Americas - Aljazeera. Retrieved November, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUjgdtEbg78 Kim, C Ruppar, A. (2013, October 14). Emotional and behavioral disabilities lecture. Lecture presented at Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education 300 in Education Building, Madison. Saulny, S. (2009, November 10). 25 Chicago students arrested for a middle-school food fight. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11food Fighthtml?_r= Wald, J. M., & Losen, D. J. (2003). Deconstructing the school-to-prison pipeline. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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