Education — Juvenile Incarceration — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Why Handcuffing Schoolkids is a Path to Criminalization

“Earlier this year, a Pittsburgh family filed a federal lawsuit against the city’s school district after their first-grader was handcuffed in class. The seven-year-old, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, was handcuffed by a Pittsburgh school resource officer at an elementary school after throwing a tantrum in class, according to an account of the suit, which was filed as a class action in an alleged violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.“

The Crime Report

November 7, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 25, 2019The Crime Report, PittsburghComment

On Closing The School-To-Prison Pipeline For Good

“My plan would also invest an additional $100 billion in “Excellence Grants” — that’s equivalent to $1 million for every public school in the country — to invest in things like afterschool arts programs and school-based student mentoring programs. My administration will also set the goal of helping 25,000 public schools transition to the community school framework by 2030. By providing services and engaging parents and the broader community, community schools can reduce the impact of systemic racial and economic disadvantage on students.“

Essence

November 6, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 6, 2019Essence, Elizabeth WarrenComment

Providing A Path To College For Kids In Juvenile Detention

“At this juvenile hall, young people can take classes taught by community college instructors from nearby College of San Mateo through a program called Project Change. It’s one of only a handful of programs of its kind in the state, and it was one of the very first. Some California lawmakers have taken note. Now they’re pushing to bring college classes to juvenile detention facilities around the state.“

Capital Public Radio

August 21, 2019

Education, Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 21, 2019Project Change, Capital Public Radio, CaliforniaComment

This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades – Until Now

“Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). “

ACLU

July 25, 2019

Education, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesJuly 25, 2019ACLU, California, Riverside CountyComment

Brooklyn Students, NYPD Work Together on Their Neighborhoods

“This program helps police officers take that initiative a few steps further by creating a deeper bond between two different groups of people, Maddrey said. Now, officers are taking an interest in young people, following up and being a part of their life.“

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange

July 16, 2019

Diversion Programs, EducationPhillip ReevesJuly 16, 2019Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, NYPD, BrooklynComment

Policing the Public Schools: How Schools Are Becoming Even More Like Prisons

“As if schooling was not already jail-like enough, adding armed police officers to the mix confirms the metaphor. In public schools across the country, police officers are increasingly present, costing taxpayers millions of dollars for a vague notion of safety. In fact, some estimates suggest that over two-thirds of high school students currently attend a school with a police officer on site.“

Foundation for Economic Education

April 16, 2019

Overcriminalization, EducationPhillip ReevesApril 16, 2019Foundation for Economic Education, FEEComment

Under Trump, juveniles are 'offenders' and aren't 'healthy and educated'

“Researchers at the project used the Wayback Machine, which archives billions of internet pages, to compare today’s web pages with pre-Trump offerings. The findings suggest that under new leadership the juvenile justice branch of the Department of Justice has begun to change its messaging in order to reflect a tougher federal approach to children that emphasizes punishment over rehabilitation.“

The Guardian

October 4, 2018

Education, Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 4, 2018The GuardianComment

N.J. is locking up fewer juvenile prisoners

“The state Juvenile Justice Commission has seen its share of young inmates committed to its facilities fall 85 percent since 2003, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said during a graduation ceremony at the New Jersey Training School in Monroe Township.“

New Jersey Star Ledger

September 28, 2018

Juvenile Incarceration, EducationPhillip ReevesSeptember 28, 2018New Jersey, New Jersey Star LedgerComment

Activist seeks to help young readers understand mass incarceration

“Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation for inmates and works to end mass incarceration. Stevenson, who has won national acclaim for his work as an advocate for poor, neglected and marginalized people in America, recently adapted his 2014 bestseller “Just Mercy” for young adult readers. It takes a close look at the justice system and details his challenges as a lawyer fighting injustice.“

CBS 12 Chattanooga

September 19, 2018

EducationPhillip ReevesSeptember 19, 2018CBS 12 Chattanooga, Equal Justice InitiativeComment

Throwing Children Away: The School-to-Prison Pipeline

"In his study “School Resource Officers and the Criminalization of Student Behavior,” University of Tennessee sociology professor Matthew Theriot found that students in schools with SROs were nearly five times more likely to be arrested for disorderly conduct, which, as mentioned earlier, can encompass a wide range of non-criminal behavior."

The American Conservative

August 13, 2018

Juvenile Incarceration, EducationAnthony BradleyAugust 14, 2018The American Conservative

How one California county is criminalizing bad grades

"The lawsuit over the YAT program speaks to broader issues that students, particularly students of color, face when it comes to discipline in schools. Collectively, this disparity fuels what has been called the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a systemic bias that civil rights advocates say pushes children and young adults of color out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system."

Vox

July 17, 2018

Education, OvercriminalizationAnthony BradleyJuly 30, 2018Vox, California

California County Law Enforcement Puts Kids on Probation for Bad Grades

"The YAT program was created in 2001 to identify “at-risk” youth and intervene before they got into more serious trouble. But teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement officials use the program as a form of school discipline, the lawsuit asserts."

The Appeal

July 10, 2018

Education, OvercriminalizationAnthony BradleyJuly 30, 2018The Appeal, California, Riverside County

Inside the Travis Hill High School at the New Orleans Jail

"Can a violent adult jail teach kids to love school?"

The Marshall Project & This American Life

June 8, 2018

The tragedy of Pennsylvania's newest prison | Opinion

"In 2011, sweeping cuts were announced to public education, general assistance, and other critical social services. Despite massive movements demanding that the state fund schools, not prison expansion, politicians refused to stop construction."

Philadelphia Inquirer

June 5, 2018

N.J. inmates may soon be eligible for state education aid

"Inmates are currently banned from receiving state grants and scholarships. This legislation would reverse that. Anyone seeking the money would be subject to the same process and regulations as everyone else who applies for state aid. But they would also need the approval of the state Department of Corrections."

New Jersey Star-Ledger

April 7, 2018

EducationAnthony BradleyJuly 30, 2018New Jersey Star Ledger, New Jersey

Education and Vocational Training in Prisons Reduces Recidivism, Improves Job Outlook

"Researchers found that inmates who participate in correctional education programs have 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not. "

RAND Corporation

August 22, 2013

Education, Prison ProgramsAnthony BradleyJuly 30, 2018RAND Corporation, Education