Christopher A. Mallett: The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Comprehensive Assessment

Excerpt

The School-to-Prison Pipeline by Christopher A. Mallett is a comprehensive assessment that explains how the educational system condemns certain groups of adolescents to a cycle of punitive action in the juvenile justice system. The pipeline is a chute for at-risk students into the juvenile justice system. In his assessment, he focuses on several themes: school discipline strategies, school policies, and promoting positive behaviors in school, as well as research on punitive vs. rehabilitative reactions. Some groups of students are more at risk for more punitive responses: minorities, low SES level, and individuals with mental disorders. Once in the pipeline, many of these students find it hard to escape as they are not offered the proper support. Furthermore, the author concludes that zero-tolerance policies, which are often the first resort, are disproportionately geared toward these students. In searching for solutions to this dilemma, the author reviews several supportive and rehabilitative models, demonstrating that deviant behavior is less likely in these schools than in more punitive schools. Research and analysis chart the characteristics that result in deviant behavior, finding that disciplinary measures enforce criminal behavior. Mallet addresses college students, the juvenile justice system, and school policy-makers and administrators, recommending that administrators and teachers assume a more constructive prevention and rehabilitation route to end the school-to-prison pipeline. Generally, Mallet’s argument is compelling but it suffers due to a slow, pedantic start. …