The Consequences of School Suspension at Different Developmental Stages: The Relationships Between Age, Race, Suspension, and Justice-Related Outcomes

Abstract

School suspension is associated with increases in delinquency and arrest and is disproportionality experienced by youth of color. Limited research has examined the outcomes of suspension experienced at different developmental stages. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between suspension, delinquency, and arrest, as well as if and how these relationships differed among youth first suspended in childhood and youth first suspended in adolescence and whether suspension experiences differed by race/ethnicity. Results indicated that suspension was more likely to be experienced by Black and Hispanic youth. Results also indicated suspension in adolescence was associated with increases in delinquency, and suspension in childhood and suspension in adolescence were associated with increases in arrest. Suspension in adolescence was associated with increases in delinquency, while suspension in childhood was associated with greater increases in arrest. Results suggest policy makers and practitioners should consider alternatives to suspension to prevent delinquency and arrest.