Race, Gender, and Disability and the Risk for Juvenile Justice Contact

Abstract

Exclusionary school discipline has received national attention due to its association with juvenile justice contact. Research has demonstrated support for links between exclusionary discipline and negative outcomes such as school dropout and juvenile justice involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine the intersections of race, gender, and disability in explaining the risk for juvenile justice contact using a state database, representing a sample of adolescent students. Controlling for individual, school, and community characteristics that are associated with juvenile justice contact such as, race/ethnicity, previous years’ discipline rate, student retention from previous year, primary disability, whether the campus is a Title I school, as well as student body size and diversity, results suggest that disproportionality is prevalent when examining juvenile justice contacts, but the relationship among race, gender, disability, and discipline is a complicated one. Implications for understanding juvenile justice contact outcomes and future research for advancing the field are discussed.

The school-to-prison pipeline for probation youth with special education needs.

“…Despite the decline in the number of youth involved in the juvenile justice system over the years, youth of color continue to be disproportionately represented in the system (Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 2019;Kim et al, 2020). Findings are often mixed regarding the over-or under-referral of African American youth to special education services (Grindal et al, 2019;Mendoza et al, 2020;Perkins et al, 2011); more studies are needed to assess the degree to which referrals and services are attributed to racial testing bias, differences in healthcare access, and poverty-related differences and to challenge the status quo that further marginalizes African American youth from quality education. Moreover, studies have shown that Black youth are far more likely to receive suspension or expulsion, despite similar levels of problem behaviors with their White peers, which in turn, contributes to their overrepresentation in the justice system (e.g., Bradshaw et al, 2010;Skiba et al, 2002;Wallace et al, 2008).…”

#FreeGrace and the Racialized Surveillance State of COVID-19 Learning

“…Similar to Grace's experience, minoritized students who are involved in the school-to-prison pipeline find it difficult to exit. They rather they continue a cycle of school punishment and juvenile delinquency (Mendoza et al, 2020), which reinforces the criminalization of students of color.…”

“…Surveillance and control were increased to shape students into valuable participants in the neoliberal economy (Sellers & Arrigo, 2018). Mendoza et al (2020) note that increased surveillance and control exposed inequity and difference across class divides by categorizing, preparing, and socializing students into their expected role in the postindustrial labor market" (p. 526). COVID-19 then exacerbates these inequalities as a "pandemic-stricken world is especially vulnerable to capitalist market mechanisms" (Teräs et al, 2020, p.6).…”

Delinquência juvenil feminina: um fenômeno social

“…Ainda, a forma de pensar a delinquência juvenil feminina como um fenômeno social traz consigo diferentes nuances que se deve considerar, como por exemplo a diferença racial. Segundo uma pesquisa realizada por Mendoza et al (2019), as meninas no geral são menos propensas do que os meninos a serem encaminhadas para o sistema de justiça juvenil, porém quando comparado gênero e raça, as meninas negras são mais propensas a serem encaminhadas ao sistema de justiça juvenil do que as meninas brancas que cometem os mesmos delitos ou parecidos. E quando são encaminhadas, em outro estudo realizado por Bryson e Peck (2019), constatou-se que a cor de pele e o gênero influenciam também na decisão de dispensar os adolescentes de seus cumprimentos de medidas nos Estados Unidos, e os resultados mostraram que as meninas negras são mais propensas a serem desfavorecidas nesse quesito.…”