School-Based Juvenile Justice Referrals in Florida: Risk Factors and Associated Outcomes

• In Event: Examining the Effect of Schools on Juvenile Justice Outcomes

Abstract

The increasing interconnectedness between educational and juvenile justice systems has a large number of consequences for youth, particularly youth of color. School-based referrals to juvenile justice systems are one of the more direct mechanisms underlying the criminalization of schools, and while school-based referrals occur, research examining school-based referrals to juvenile justice systems has limitations. The purpose of this study is to examine risk factors for school-based referrals to the Florida juvenile justice system, as well as compare referrals by race, gender, age, offense type, and SRO presence, and identify and compare dispositions and re-arrest rates associated with school-based referrals. According to results, race, gender, age, and offense type interact to affect referral risk among children and youth in Florida. Findings have implications for policy makers and practitioners in juvenile justice and educational systems.

Authors

• Abigail Novak, University of Mississippi

• Vitoria De Francisco Lopes, University of Mississippi