PODCAST · arts

The School-to-Prison Pipeline

by Alex

The school-to-prison pipeline is one of the most vivid examples of how systemic racism works within the educational system, which affects Black and Latino students differentially. The term describes practices and policies that force students from school into the criminal justice system, mainly students from communities that are perceived as indigent and subordinate. It can be further explained by factors such as zero tolerance, school resource officer racial profiling, and biased disciplinary practices. Study after study has documented how Black and Latino students are more likely to be suspended or expelled for the same offenses than their White counterparts; these disciplinary actions increase the chances of later involvement with the criminal justice system. Critical Race Theory explains this problem through the ways racism is not an individual act of prejudice but a problem of structure embedded in institutions, including schools. According to CRT, schools contribute to maintain