Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline: The Philadelphia police school diversion program

Exclusionary discipline practices have made schools among the primary referral sources to the juvenile justice system, helping create and perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline. To dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in Philadelphia, the City's police department initiated the Philadelphia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children and youth services review 2019-06, Vol.101, p.61-69
Main Authors: Goldstein, Naomi E.S., Cole, Lindsey M., Houck, Mark, Haney-Caron, Emily, Holliday, Stephanie Brooks, Kreimer, Rena, Bethel, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arrests
At risk populations
Collaboration
Community-based programs
Discipline
Diversion programs
Human services
Juvenile justice
Juvenile justice system
Offenses
Partnerships
Police
Prisons
Social services
Suspension
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Summary:Exclusionary discipline practices have made schools among the primary referral sources to the juvenile justice system, helping create and perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline. To dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in Philadelphia, the City's police department initiated the Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program and collaborated with the City's school district, Department of Human Services (DHS), and other child-serving agencies to design and implement the program. This program diverts at-risk youth from school-based arrest and into community-based services to address identified needs. All students, ages 10 and older, without prior adjudications or open cases, who have committed designated summary or misdemeanor offenses on school grounds, are enrolled in this program and connected with a DHS-sponsored service provider—rather than facing arrest and automatic removal from school through suspension, expulsion, or disciplinary transfer. The Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program has been cited as a model of collaborative partnerships to address the school-to-prison pipeline. This paper describes the school-to-prison pipeline's creation; established diversionary efforts to keep students out of the justice system; and the development, procedures, implications, and limitations of the Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program.
ISSN:0190-7409
1873-7765
DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.03.022