Introduction
School suspensions and other forms of discipline, however, also fuel this more intricate problem by unwittingly increasing the likelihood that their children, especially minority kids, will get entangled in the criminal justice system, making it even worse. Due to this worrying trend, people are concerned about the relationship between education, race, and justice. Some of the students argue that schools operate like stepladders to prison instead of providing a safe environment for learning and growth. This pipeline, which thrives on education, as well as the social inequalities, makes it more than an act of coincidence; it is systemic. These acts go beyond the classroom since they infringe upon minorities who are often charged with petty offenses. This paper will look at the background, impacts, and why it is important for change to sustain social justice and educational fairness in addressing the school-to-prison pipeline.
Background
In this case, policies such as zero tolerance and strict academic standards have had more effect on minority students compared with majority ones. These took clues from Nixon’s drug policies of the 1970s, where “beefing justice” was a popular phrase in the 1980s referred to as being tough on drugs and crimes (Liebman et al., page 384). A policy on such a scale in schools implied that a minor violation could lead to suspension or expulsion and consequently made it easier for youngsters to come into touch with the police forces. Initially intended to make schools safer, this policy ended up creating a cycle that disproportionately affects minority populations: the school-to-prison pipeline (Rich, 2016).
The countrywide zero-tolerance rules followed a wider trend of disassociating punishment from crime during the last decades of the twentieth century. The researchers, Galliani, noted that these changes were swiftly embraced nationwide without much concern about their impact on students and particularly minorities (Galliani, 2021). According to the study, such procedures culminated in massive numbers of suspension cases as well as expulsion due to petty issues that were more prevalent among colored kids. Indeed, these conclusions warrant a review of how zero-tolerance discipline policy is applied in order to foster equality and equity in education because they point out a disturbing correlation between the adoption of zero-tolerance discipline and rising educational gaps. These policies should be shifted towards such an equitable direction so that it can develop a friendlier school environment or at least cause minority kids less trouble.
The consequences of strict disciplinary measures in schools are far-fetching, serious and lasting. A student faces much higher chances of involving himself in the juvenile court system when he is being suspended or expelled from school. This situation causes a cycle of vicious poverty and a greater chance of being imprisoned. It especially applies to minority schoolchildren. As compared to the other non-minority children, these kids receive sterner punishments for similar offenses, and this highlights an uneven application of discipline. This information highlights the urgency with which established schools’ disciplinary policies should be reviewed totally. If the root causes of the school-to-prison pipeline are addressed and equal treatment is sought for all student populations, then meaningful and long-lasting educational change is still possible. The change is necessary in terms of the health of each student and the general health of the educational system and society as a whole.
Statement of the Problem
One serious problem exacerbating injustice, inequity, and disproportionately affecting minority children is the “school-to-prison” pipeline.” It perpetuates broad-based structural inequalities by exposing people to the risk of prison and hampering education potential. Moreover, it sustains inequalities in the community and contributes to the vicious circle of marginalization and poverty, which affect the vulnerable members of society.
Solutions and Recommendations
To address the issue of the school-to-prison pipeline, a multimodal strategy that involves changing disciplinary procedures is crucial. There are important reasons for revising this set of rules, such as focusing predominantly on positive modes of behavior management and not on punishment. To this end, the zero-tolerance rules must be moved away because it has been shown to be biased against minorities. According to Scott (2017), AERA’s research shows fewer serious disciplinary actions among schools with flexible disciplinary policies and a downward trend in racial disparities in punishments. Such results could be instrumental in developing a fairer and effective discipline program.
The other response is to bring restorative justice methods to schools. Restorative justice is a contrary concept that seeks to remedy the harm that dereliction causes. In doing this, children learn responsibility, negotiation skills, and empathy. An article published in the Peabody Journal of Education showed that where there are more minority populations in the schools, restorative approaches resulted in fewer suspensions and a better school climate (Lodi, 2021). Restorative justice could reduce the incidents that force children towards the criminal justice system, thereby making the school environment supportive of students.
In addition, at-risk student assistance should be improved in order to lower the school-to-prison pipeline. One of the strategies comprises providing tailor-made academic assistance, mentoring programs, and additional counseling services. These all-inclusive support systems led schools to observe improved cases of attendance, more passing grades, and reduced suspension occurrences of students. In particular, for the children who were at risk, Erps (et al., 2020) underscored the success of these interventions in “keeping kids off the pipe.” Such schools should be designed in such a way as to provide individualized support that tackles the issues faced by these students. Such motivation will help the students to cope with various academic and emotional difficulties and maintain their focus on their studies.
The school-to-prison pipeline must be addressed through promoting educational justice as a necessary initial stage. This needs to be done to ensure that every student gets a fair share of resources and quality education regardless of their socioeconomic, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it is important to make changes in education policies and practices so that each child gets a fair chance for success. If schools address these underlying inequalities, then they can help generate a more just and equitable society whereby schooling schools may create a climate that promotes and develops each student’s potential and helps create a more just and equitable society by addressing these underlying inequalities strategy, smaller aims to develop a better, more inclusive education system, helps particular children too.
Conclusion
The process of setting up equitable schools and ending continuous cycles of poverty leading to imprisonment for most colored students requires dealing with the school-to-prison pipeline. The change would be deep-rooted, starting with the revamp of the judiciary system and schools, which was an intense endeavor that involved everyone in society. Inclusive methods like restorative justice should be used to consider and restructure school disciplinary processes as well as provide ongoing support for those at risk. They must also go deeper into broader problems, including unequal financing of education and equal access to quality learning materials. This way, we can build a more diverse and fair world where every kid has an opportunity to realize their capability regardless of social origin. Such large-scale endeavors in schools and colleges are necessary because these places need to be gateways into opportunities and success instead of inadvertent passageways toward criminal activities in the judicial system.
References
Erps, K. H., Ochs, S., & Myers, C. L. (2020). School psychologists and suicide risk assessment: Role perception and competency. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22367
Galliani, N. (2021). Back to Basics: How Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy evidenced the Inefficiency of the Human Rights Framework and the Urgency to re-center Human Dignity. https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9056986/file/9057011.pdf
Lodi, E., Perrella, L., Lepri, G. L., Scarpa, M. L., & Patrizi, P. (2021). Use of Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices at School: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 96. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010096
Rich, L. A. (2016). Cerd-ain Reform: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline through More Thorough Coordination of the Department of Justice and Education. Loy. LAL Rev., 49, 119. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/lla49§ion=5
Scott, J., Moses, M. S., Finnigan, K. S., Trujillo, T., & Jackson, D. D. (2017). Law and Order in School and Society: How Discipline and Policing Policies Harm Students of Color, and What We Can Do about It. National Education Policy Center. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2016.1168475
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