Criminalizing Kids

A summary of the negative relationship between having law enforcement heavily

involved in inner-city learning facilities and academic achievement

The Overlooked Reason for Failing SchoolsBy Heather Ann Thompson

Why are our schools at an all-time academic low?

The author argues that the the increase use of law enforcement personnel and equipment in public schools has contributed to the crisis level of approx. 1.2 million high school students dropping out each year.

Why are schools resorting to having close relationships with the juvenile justice system?Just as we learned in our textbook, Thompson has

pointed out that even though federal reporting agencies have shown that teen violence is at an all time low, public opinion is that teens are more violent than ever. But, she goes a little more in-depth as to why this happened than Fagin.

How did this begin?

During the civil rights movement urban communities became center stage for protests and demonstrations. In the meantime The Johnson administration passed the Law Enforcement Assistant Act of 1965 which gave police agencies significantly more funding then ever before. Now the police had the means to arrest record amounts of citizens and the arrested were predominantly of the African American race. Adults were not the only people being targeted. Because of the fear of “black violence” ( these “violent black people” were often civil rights protesters) in the 1960's, law enforcement had become what a seems to be a permanent fixture in inner-city schools systems (Thompson, 2011).

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What allows law enforcement to be

so heavily involved in public

schools?Even though the civil rights movement has ended several

decades ago,often times urban schools are as heavily supervised by law enforcement as they were during the 1960's. Also new laws have been passed that have made things like skipping school (truancy), talking back, or having any type of sharp object that were once considered harmless offenses, are now arrestable offenses. Strict “Zero Tolerance” policies make students more likely to be apprehended (Thompson, 2011). For example with the zero tolerance against bringing weapons to school, if a student brings a toy gun to school not only do they face expulsion, but also the student is at risk of being put into the Juvenile Justice System.

To what extent is law enforcement

utilized by schools?2011 the school district of Philadelphia reported having 408

School Police Officers and 249 School Security Officers. Philadelphia students walk through metal detectors, and are often required to have transparent backpacks. Students that set off the metal detectors are likely to be patted down or possibly strip searched by an officer. Schools like those in Chicago have an agreement in which police officers report students that were arrested off campus to the school administrators so the arrested student can also be suspended or expelled (Thompson, 2011) Though Thompson only points out the Philadelphia school district , even in the small town of Port Orchard there is at least one police officer present during school hours in each of their jr. high and high shcools.

How do we know that such measures are not necessary?

Before the 1960's the U.S was using an inadequate crime reporting methods (Fagin, 2012). Though it may be difficult to translate because the levels of teen arrests are skyrocketing in inner-cities, the more sophisticated crime reporting systems (UCR, NIBRS, NCVS and School Safety Incidents Reports) that are used today have shown that teen violence is on the decline (Thompson, 2011). If American teens are not becoming increasingly violent, it is not necessary to have so much law enforcement in public schools.

How is the presence of law enforcement in schools affecting students?

Two student when speaking with a team studying zero-tolerance policies in their schools said:

“It makes it seem as though they expect us to be negative. I feel violated.”

Another student elaborated,

“I had to take off my shoes and they searched me like was a real criminal. . . [after that] I was making up every excuse not to go to school.(Thompson, 2011)”

Though these are just two accounts from students, the evidence that zero-tolerance policies are keeping students out of school is real. Being treated like a criminal is not conducive to learning. And according to research report done by the American Psychological Association in 2007, the use of zero-tolerance policies that call for expulsion and suspension are linked to poor academic performance.

What I have taken away from this article

After reading this article I have begun to understand how disproportionate incarceration is. Just as there are significantly more minorities than whites in adult prisons, Hispanic and black students are much more likely to enter juvenile justice system than their white counterparts(Poe-Yamagata, 2009). This is because of the concentrated use of police personnel and equipment like metal detectors, in schools that have predominantly black and Hispanic students. Not only is this an injustice in its self, I have learned that the strict polices and involvement of law enforcement is impeding the urban youth of reaching their full potential.

ReferencesFagin, J. A. (2012). Cj2012. (pp. 235-255). Pearson.

Poe-Yamagata, E. (2009). And justice for some: Differential treatment of minority youth in the justice system. (pp. 1-8). DIANE. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?

Thompson, H. (2011). Criminalizing kids; the overlooked reason for failing schools. Dissent, 58(4), 23-27. Retrieved from