The Consequences of School Discipline for Youth Offending: A Test of Labeling Theory

• In Event: School Discipline and Punishment

Abstract

Despite nationwide declines in school misbehavior, drug use, and victimization, in recent decades the U.S. education system has experienced an increase in reliance on exclusionary school discipline. The proliferation of suspension and expulsion, which has largely been driven by the rise of zero tolerance policies, has resulted in what scholars have described as the “criminalization” of students and the “prisonization” of schools. Indeed, in response to these trends, many scholars have expressed concerns that these school policies may have a wide range of deleterious outcomes for youth. For instance, harms to students that may result from exposure to exclusionary school discipline include declines in academic performance, reductions in attachment to school, and an increased likelihood of dropping out. However, limited research has explored the effects of school discipline on students’ delinquent behavior, and even less has investigated whether these effects are mediated and moderated by factors anticipated by labeling theory. Using data from Waves I and II of Add Health, the current study explores the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of school discipline on delinquency.

Authors

• Leah FIkre Butler, Florida State University

• Peter S Lehmann, Florida State University

• Alexa J Singer, Florida State University