Many U.S. school aged students are known for the occasional classroom disruptions: making jokes, passing love notes, picking on other students and sadly, even telling-off a teacher; one would be misinformed to believe otherwise. However, while these disruptions are considered “normal student behavior,” school officials see it differently and that difference is cause for police patrolling school grounds.
In 2010, there were 20,400 school age youths arrested which represents about 30 percent of all arrests that year. Based on the Texas Appleseed report, “Working to Shut Off the Pipeline to Prison” by Hilgers, King and Bryce, the problem with sending this many students through the juvenile justice system is the impact it has on the students long term. In fact, the report suggests that adult criminal behavior among young people often stems from school based youthful misbehavior that left youth in the juvenile justice system.
Continue reading School & Community Programs serve as alternative to “Pipeline to Prison”