School To Prison Pipeline Theory Essay

The school-to-prison pipeline theory “suggests that early involvement in school discipline is a clear predictor of future problems” (p. 7) with the justice system (Office of the State Superintendent of Education, 2013). The most common practice associated with this theory is zero-tolerance policies that are implemented nationwide in schools. A zero-tolerance policy in a school is the rigorous enforcement of rules and bans against unwanted behaviors and possession of items (Office of the State Superintendent of Education, 2013). One such school disciplinary action that has increased in usage is suspension. Suspension rates have almost doubled since 1974 (González, 2012). Research on suspension has shown that when students are removed from school, delinquency increases. In addition, students lose instructional time thus creating a “cycle of failure” (González, 2012, p. 288).
As Wilson (2014) explains, zero tolerance policies have been utilized in schools for over two decades and will therefore be difficult to
Hanson et al. (2013) found that infants from families classified as low-income had reduced volumes of gray matter in both their frontal and parietal lobes. Gray matter is essential for executive function and information processing (Hanson et al., 2013). In an interview conducted by MacKinnon (2012), Dr. Bruce Perry explains that in children exposed to substantial developmental trauma (such as that associated with living below the poverty line) there is higher likelihood of poor organization and functioning in parts of the brain responsible for stress-response. Dr. Perry suggests that repetitive activity is necessary to cause change in the brain’s neural network. “Repetitive rhythmic somatosensory activity” (p. 14) such as music, dance, drumming, jumping on a trampoline, swinging, etc. can be used to foster change in the neural networks (MacKinnon,