Exploring the Spectrum: How the Law May Advance a Social Movement
Tiffani Darden. The school-to-prison pipeline too often places young people into a hamster’s spinning wheel. According to the Department of Justice, suspension from school diminishes a student’s chance to graduate from high school and increases a student’s chance at entering the juvenile justice system. The rollercoaster halts only when interrupted by a young person’s confrontation with adult criminal courts. In my opinion, a balanced approach, reconfigured to critique public education alongside youth correctional facilities, will more fully develop our understanding of the problem and assist in crafting holistic solutions. Children should not suffer undue trauma associated with adjudication, the “delinquent” label, and separation from supportive family and community networks. The school-to-prison pipeline literature places a heavy onus upon public schools to reform internal policies—scholars focus heavily on prevention at the…