Disability, School Discipline, and Arrest in Adulthood

• In Event: Incarceration, Institutionalization, and Disability (Co-sponsored by Crime, Law, and Deviance Section)

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the association between youth disability status, school discipline, and adult arrest by drawing on linked administrative K-12 education and adult criminal history records of over 4 million people in Texas. Prior research finds that both disability and discipline are independently associated with high risks of arrest, but research has yet to examine the interaction between the two. Is suspension more predictive of future arrest among students with disabilities than students without, and might the relationship vary across types of disability, gender, and race? What interventions might moderate the risk of future arrest among youth with disabilities?

Authors

• Emily A. Lybbert, University of Texas-Austin

• Lindsay Bing, University of Alberta