Beyond the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Timing, Sequencing, and Accumulation of Risk Among Incarcerated Men

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Social Policy Considerations for the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Abstract

One in 100 American adults is incarcerated; the majority have no high school credential upon entering prison. This study examines the timing, sequencing and accumulation of 23 risk factors among 10 currently incarcerated men using semi-structured interviews. Little is known about the timing and sequencing of education risk factors, or their relationships with family, social and behavioral risks. Participants report accumulation of risk throughout the first 18 years, with family risks concentrated in years before kindergarten, school risks concentrated between third and ninth grade, and behavior risks concentrated in adolescence. Still, one-quarter of all risk factors occur the first time in early middle school. Identifying key risks and their timing may offer pathways for effective school and non-school interventions.

Author

• Krista L. Goldstine-Cole, Harvard University