As time progresses, our country’s agenda alters according to what issue is seemingly more important than another at that specific time. An issue that has been considered for far too long is a notion regarding the American education system and its connection to mass incarceration. The supposed link between education and incarceration is commonly referred to as the “school to prison pipeline”. Although African Americans are only 13% of the United States population, they account for almost 38% of the inmates in American prison systems. The overrepresentation of African American people in the American prison system displays the obvious injustice. The school to prison pipeline is the practice of repeatedly over punishing children for minor offense …show more content…
The social effects can be described as an increasingly harsh legal system for juveniles into their adult years as the expansion of the prison industrial complex continues to increase. The criminalization of black individuals creates the stereotypical cultural effect of a dangerous black man or angry black woman. The political aspect of the issues resides in the industrial prison complex where the government profits off of criminalizing our children. The ecological levels of self, family, and community all play a role in the theory of why youth in the targeted classifications fall under this social injustice that persists in our nation. This theory helps explain the fragility of the “School to prison pipeline” foundation. As researchers, we should question what social and political effects of the school-to-prison pipeline impact African Americans and what possible solutions can be applied to eliminate the epidemic? Using a qualitative research methodology, the discourse will be debated in order to bring underlying facts to the forefront. The system was never built to accommodate those who it targets and instead it was created to work against people of color, poor or disabled. …show more content…
To an adult, or an individual that lacks concern, or prefers to not acknowledge the social and physical restraint and conditioning of the educational system, the idea that students are prisoners would seem extraneous. However, for students this idea is truth, nothing other than fact. There is a plethora of similarities between the life of a prisoner and that of a student in America. Students and prisoners alike are continuously on a timer. Every task has a time restraint and a consequence for not meeting the specified deadline. The timer concept is so severe that students, just as prisoners, are timed when eating. In addition to be timed they are forced to consume food without regards to complaints or preference. Students and prisoners are also monitored in the amount of time they spend outdoors and engaging in extracurricular activities or hobbies. There are guards in schools to restrict and forcibly control students. Many times administrators would rather call a guard to escort a student out of their office rather than lend an ear to the complaints or propositions a student has. Society would rather criminalize behaviors that are historically typical of students at their respective ages than actively work toward solving the issue. For example, bullying has been made crime in numerous states. Granted, the effects of
Most black Americans are under the control of the criminal justice today whether in parole or probation or whether in jail or prison. Accomplishments of the civil rights association have been challenged by mass incarceration of the African Americans in fighting drugs in the country. Although the Jim Crow laws are not so common, many African Americans are still arrested for very minor crimes. They remain disfranchised and marginalized and trapped by criminal justice that has named them felons and refuted them their rights to be free of lawful employment and discrimination and also education and other public benefits that other citizens enjoy. There is exists discernment in voting rights, employment, education and housing when it comes to privileges. In the, ‘the new Jim crow’ mass incarceration has been described to serve the same function as the post civil war Jim crow laws and pre civil war slavery. (Michelle 16) This essay would defend Michelle Alexander’s argument that mass incarcerations represent the ‘new Jim crow.’
In today’s society mainly anyone growing up in poverty stricken communities, single parent homes, domestic violence or infested and drug infested areas are at risk to being abducted by the school to prison pipeline. The school to prison pipeline is a system designed for at risk teens that do not do well in school. The effect is them being thrown in jail. Economically the black and the Latino community constantly after generation and generation are getting dealt the same hand because each child in the new generation is growing up in a broken home and are falling victim to the same problems that the generation before them have faced. By compiling annual reports on the total number of disciplinary
For my second article review I decided to do mine over the article Harry Wilson titled Turning off the School-to-Prison Pipeline. The main theme that this particular article deals with is how our school systems have become a direct pipeline for kids to end up in prison and the way to break this pipeline is through our schools changing certain policies they operate by. The main topic of this article that the author talks about frequently that contributes to the “pipeline” is the zero tolerance rule that school systems follow. The author speaks frequently about how the zero tolerance policy is a key factor to the school-to-prison pipeline being eliminated. Throughout the entire duration of the article the reader can expect to be confronted with
In recent years, there has been controversy over mass incarceration rates within the United States. In the past, the imprisonment of criminals was seen as the most efficient way to protect citizens. However, as time has gone on, crime rates have continued to increase exponentially. Because of this, many people have begun to propose alternatives that will effectively prevent criminals from merely repeating their illegal actions. Some contend that diversion programs, such as rehabilitation treatment for drug offenders, is a more practical solution than placing mentally unstable individuals into prison. By helping unsteady criminals regain their health, society would see an exceptional reduction in the amount of crimes committed. Although some
According to statistics since the early 1970’s there has been a 500% increase in the number of people being incarcerated with an average total of 2.2 million people behind bars. The increase in rate of people being incarcerated has also brought about an increasingly disproportionate racial composition. The jails and prisons have a high rate of African Americans incarcerated with an average of 900,000 out of the 2.2 million incarcerateed being African American. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 1 in 6 African American males has been incarcerated at some point in time as of the year 2001. In theory if this trend continues it is estimated that about 1 in 3 black males being born can be expected to spend time in prison and some point in his life. One in nine African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 are currently incarcerated. Although the rate of imprisonment for women is considerably lower than males African American women are incarc...
In this paper I will discuss Inequality In The Promised Land by E. L’Heureuz Lewis-McCoy. McCoy examines the underlying inequality and micro racial aggressions present within the seemingly diverse and progressive Rolling Acres Public School system. Three major themes I will focus on are the concerted cultivation approach to parenting, the disparity in the ability of students of different races to acquire access to resources, and how the engagement of poor and middle class parents impacts their children’s education. I will also discuss “Marked: Race, Crime & Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration” by Devah Pager. Pager’s work focuses on the effects that the criminal justice system has on ex-inmates, more specifically the effects of race
Another major reason why juveniles are ending up in the juvenile justice system is because many schools have incorporate the zero tolerance policy and other extreme school disciplinary rules. In response to violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly grave. These policies have been enacted at the school, district and state levels with the hopes of ensuring the safety of students and educators. These policies all rely on the zero tolerance policy. While it is understandable that protecting children and teachers is a priority, it is not clear that these strict policies are succeeding in improving the safety in schools.
The school-to-prison pipeline is the idea that schools funnel students into the prison system. This theory is narrow-minded and ignores how the government benefits from the surveillance of African Americans. With the imagery of a pipe, this complex issue is reduced to the single-minded idea that schools force people of color, most notably African Americans, and does not discuss the evolution of the larger society. The way society has evolved to discriminate against African Americans at the institutional level is a key factor in the increased incarceration rates. The school-to-prison pipeline is an outdated and prejudiced model that does not fully explain the situation many African Americans face.
In the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, Chief Justice Earl Warren said, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunities of education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right that must be made available on equal terms.” There is a widespread issue that is currently affecting children across the nation. It’s too often that schools push racial minorities and children with disabilities from the classrooms to the criminal justice system at increased rates for minor offenses, suspensions, and expulsions. According to the article, “The School to
Many Americans pretend that the days of racism are far behind; however it is clear that institutional racism still exists in this country. One way of viewing this institutional racism is looking at our nation’s prison system and how the incarceration rates are skewed towards African American men. The reasons for the incarceration rate disparity are argued and different between races, but history points out and starts to show the reason of why the disparity began. Families and children of the incarcerated are adversely affected due to the discrimination as well as the discrimination against African American students and their likelihood of going to prison compared to the white student. African American women are also affected by the discrimination in the incarceration rate. Many white Americans don’t see how racism affects incarceration rates, and that African Americans are more likely to face discrimination from the police as well as being falsely arrested.
Education is the main source to gain knowledge to begin a successful journey to life's opportunities and advantages. The true value of an education is only what the students, teachers, and administrators make of it to create a foundation for the students of today and tomorrow. Although there are values of having equal rights within a public school education, many rights have been diminished due to certain school policy rules. Relatively new public school policies such as the Zero Tolerance Policy and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have influenced what sociologists call a, "School to Prison Pipeline". Zero-Tolerance policies and No Child Left Behind policies are preventing children from getting a quality education that children of today deserve.
Tulman, J. B. (2008). Time to Reverse the School-to-Prison Pipeline. (Cover story). Policy & Practice (19426828), 66(1), 22-27.
What is education? Should education be limited to those who are free in society and not locked up behind bars? Education is a broad term which can be interpreted in many different ways, however , it is typically defined as the action or process of teaching , especially in a school, university,or college. As we seek to refine and reform education we must understand that education expands much farther than just the classroom. For instance education in jail, it 's a gateway for prisoners to come out as a new person and have a different view on life For example Malcolm X. Also it 's less likely for a prisoner to reoffend because they 're more likely to get a job with degree they earn while being incarcerated . Also this can help save tax money.
Khadaroo, Teicher. A. “School suspensions: Does racial bias feed the school-to-prison pipeline?” The Christian Science Monitor. March 31, 2013. Web.
Why should we care about education in prison? In today’s world people become more egocentric, so that no one’s longer care or even attempt to think about others problems and how to fix them. As a society, we have to begin to focus on the bigger picture, why so many people get behind bars in United States. All human beings should have an opportunity of better life even after committing mistakes before. Education is the key to success. By providing prisoners with opportunity to get education, our society will benefit everyone. Prison education should be provided to inmates for three significant reasons: reduces crime recidivism, gives job perspectives and helps prisoners to rehabilitate and commit themselves to a law-abiding life outside the prison.