Disrupting a child’s trajectory into the juvenile justice system holds great promise for increasing life opportunities for that youth and for creating safer communities. Growing concern over zero tolerance policies in schools across the country and their contribution to the school-to-prison pipeline has shed light on a common pathway into the juvenile justice system — school misbehavior.
This issue is particularly pronounced for youth with mental health and substance abuse needs who may struggle within the demands of the school setting. If offered an alternative response to juvenile justice system referral, it is possible to change trajectories for these youth.
[For more of this story, written by Jacqui Greene, go to http://jjie.org/changing-juven...son-pipeline/134702/]
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