Breaking the Chains of the School-To-Prison Pipeline With Mental Health Justice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Voices for Change: Racial Justice, Healing, and Educational Reform

Abstract

This qualitative study explores six formerly incarcerated college (FIC) students’ mental health challenges experienced in high school to expose how unmet mental health needs significantly contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. Drawing from transformative social-emotional learning (tSEL) and Critical Race Theory (CRT), the data uncovered a troubling truth: trauma, grief, and internalized pain among high school students frequently go unrecognized and misinterpreted as “trouble-making” behaviors, resulting in exclusionary disciplinary measures and perpetuation of the school-to-prison pipeline. These narratives highlight the need for schools to implement holistic, trauma-informed interventions, like tSEL, that prioritize mental health equity to prevent carceral trajectories. This research also demonstrates how engaging students as co-researchers, like in CBPR, can directly shape responsive and anti-carceral school-based mental health strategies.

Authors

• Asianya Jones, California State University - Sacramento

• Addison Duane, Sacramento State University