School-to-Prison Pipeline | American Civil Liberties Union

Question 1

What is the school-to-prison pipeline?

Accepted Answer

The school-to-prison pipeline refers to school discipline practices, such as suspensions and referrals to law enforcement, that funnel youth out of public education and into the juvenile and criminal legal systems. This trend reflects our country’s prioritization of incarceration over education, and it’s made worse as resources for public schools are decreased. From inadequate resources for counseling to an overreliance on school-based police officers to enforce harsh zero-tolerance policies, many students — overwhelmingly students of color and students with disabilities — are isolated, punished, and pushed out of our education system for adolescent mistakes.

Question 2

How does law enforcement in schools perpetuate harm?

Accepted Answer

Having law enforcement in schools creates more hostile environments. When students perceive their schools to be hostile, they are less likely to be engaged in school and, in turn, demonstrate reduced achievement. The presence of sworn law enforcement is also associated with increases in student arrests for low-level incidents. Schools employing school police see increases in student offenses and school-based arrests by as much as 400 percent. In a recent survey of 400 school resource officers, one out of three officers reported that their school does not specify the types of disciplinary issues that they can intervene in. This lack of accountability and clarity results in an inappropriate use of force for minor misbehaviors and harm to students. The tools of law enforcement, unlike the tools of school-based mental health providers, include pepper spray, handcuffs, tasers, and guns, and are ill-suited to the classroom.

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