128. Does School Suspension Increase Long-Term Substance Use?: Quantifying the Impact of School Suspension on Young Adult Substance Use 12 Years After School Suspension Using the Rubin Causal Inference Model

Abstract

This research quantifies the impact of high school suspension on the alcohol and drug use of young adults at ages 25-31. Zero-tolerance high school disciplinary policies have been criticized by the American Academy of Pediatrics, but little research has assessed long-term impacts of high school suspension. The research tests hypotheses generated by the theory of secondary deviance, which predicts that school suspension for minor deviance will induce induce more severe deviance.