Does the School to Prison Pipeline Exist in America for Minorities?

Abstract

Why are male minorities incarcerated at higher rates than their white counterparts? People of color, specifically African-American and Latino youth living in underserved communities in the United States of America, encounter many obstacles which place these brilliant minds on the trajectory toward a school to prison pipeline. The school to prison pipeline refers to a system that affects students on the local, state and federal level which operates both directly and indirectly. Qualitative data alludes to a “machine” that has been constructed to maintain the present capitalistic class structure. Many sociological theories such as conflict race theory and conflict theory uncover how race and socioeconomic status directly correlate to pipeline elements such as harsh zero tolerance policies, poor learning environments and underfunded schools. If the existence of this pipeline is woven into the tapestry of American society, various social constructs such as race may reinforce disparities and perpetuate the “machine.”