African American Students’ Experiences of the School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Phenomenological Study

Timmesha A Butler

doi:10.20897/jcasc/11529

Abstract

Objective: The school-to-prison pipeline (SPP) is a phenomenon that describes pushing students out of public schools into the juvenile justice system. Research notes that Black students with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the school-to-prison pipeline. This article details a phenomenological qualitative research study that explored the lived experiences of Black students with disabilities, who, by virtue of experiencing school discipline and juvenile detainment, have become involved in the school-to-prison pipeline. Method: Using a Critical Disability Theoretical framework, the researchers sought to use the voices of students most affected to develop an understanding of the SPP. A sample of 10 African American Students was selected from alternative schools to describe their experiences with school discipline and the juvenile justice system. Results: Findings in the research study noted three critical aspects of the students’ journeys: the relationships they developed with caring educators, distrust in the criminal justice system, and a developed sense of false consciousness. Conclusion: This article seeks to use students’ experiences to provide insights into how school professionals can address the complex nature of this phenomenon.

Highlights

Students labeled with behavior and emotional disturbance disabilities are often labeled and disproportionately targeted for severe school disciplines such as suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrest (Fenning and Rose, 2007; Marchbanks and Blake, 2018)
Students who experience the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SPP) and are involved in the juvenile justice system become 39 percent less likely to graduate and 41 percent more likely to enter into adult prison by the time they reach the age of 25, with Black youth more likely to recidivate than Caucasian youth (Aizer and Doyle, 2013; Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), 2017)
This research study used a social constructivist phenomenological approach to examine the lived experiences of Black students with disabilities

Summary

Introduction

Students labeled with behavior and emotional disturbance disabilities are often labeled and disproportionately targeted for severe school disciplines such as suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrest (Fenning and Rose, 2007; Marchbanks and Blake, 2018). Researchers have conceptualized school discipline practices streamlining students into the juvenile justice system as the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SPP) phenomenon. Students who experience the SPP and are involved in the juvenile justice system become 39 percent less likely to graduate and 41 percent more likely to enter into adult prison by the time they reach the age of 25, with Black youth more likely to recidivate than Caucasian youth (Aizer and Doyle, 2013; Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), 2017). While there is significant research to describe the effects and risk of juvenile justice involvement for students with

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion