Criminalizing the Classroom: School Resource Officers’ Perceptions of the School-to-Prison Pipeline

• In Event: New Arenas for Studying Race and Punishment

Abstract

This paper is a qualitative examination of school resource officers' perceptions of the school-to-prison pipeline. A purposive sample (n = 25) of school resource officers' from across the Midwest completed face-to-face and phone interviews. Findings indicate officers are uncertain about their roles in schools and how zero tolerance policies have contributed to the school-to-prison pipeline. Suggestions are presented for clearly defining the role of school resource officers and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.

Author

• Kimberly D. Dodson, University of Houston - Clear Lake