The School-to-Prison Pipeline: From School Discipline to Final Disposition

• In Event: Race, Ethnicity and Juvenile Punishment Outcomes

Abstract

Utilizing the Breaking Schools’ Rules (Fabelo, et al 2011) dataset, this paper examines the presence of racial disproportionality across all stages of the school-to-prison pipeline: school discipline; referral to juvenile justice; agency decision to refer to a prosecutor; decision of prosecutor; final disposition and placement decision. At each stage, appropriate controls will be utilized including prior school discipline, academic history and prior juvenile justice experience.

Using a statewide (Texas) panel dataset that examined three grade cohorts over a six-year period, Fabelo, et al (2011) established that disproportionalities exist at both the school discipline and referral to juvenile justice phases. This work extends those findings to examine potential disproportionality at all phases of the juvenile justice system.

Authors

• Miner Marchbanks, Texas A&M University

• Steve Wood, Texas A&M University