A Qualitative Look at the Family and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

• In Event: Roundtable: Family, Gender, and Incarceration

Abstract

Recent research has documented the phenomenon known as the school-to-prison pipeline, the process by which students are criminalized as a form of school punishment. Much of this research has shown the disproportionate rate at which certain students, specifically students of color and students with disabilities, are at higher risk of missing days of instruction due to suspensions and criminalization from referrals to the criminal justice system (Losen, Sun, & Keith, 2017; Heir et al. 2014; Tulman & Douglas 2010). What has been lacking in the research is a qualitative look at the families and guardians of children caught in this cycle of punishment. This research presents preliminary findings from interviews with guardians of children and teenagers who have been adjudicated for a school related incident or have experienced more than one suspension from their school and are currently served under an IEP or 504 plan. Themes in community, family, and individual background factors will be shared, as will the impact of the suspensions and/or adjudication on the members of the family unit.

Author

• Jennifer Hartsfield, Bridgewater State University