The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature

• In Event: Examining the School-to-Prison-Pipeline

Abstract

The number of socially, economically, and emotionally challenged youth who have juvenile justice involvement is steadily increasing, giving rise to a growing body of literature that explores the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). The STPP refers to the movement (or “push”) of children perceived to be “at risk” and who are displaying maladaptive behaviors in school from the classroom into the criminal justice system (Boyd, 2009; Bracy, 2010; Hirschfield, 2008). It is critical for the field of criminology to approach the STPP with an understanding of what other disciplines are investigating and reporting about this phenomenon. This presentation reports the results from a meta-analysis of the last decade of STPP literature-base (i.e., 2003-2013). Specifically, authors will report (a) which disciplines are reporting empirical studies about the STPP, (b) emergent themes reported in STPP empirical studies, and (c) implications for future directions in STPP from a criminal-justice/criminology-based perspective.

Authors

• Michele P. Bratina, Shippensburg University

• Kelly M. Carrero, Shippensburg University