Expert to Speak About Links Between School Discipline and the Juvenile Justice System

FORUM
When: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 from 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Where: Open Society Institute-Baltimore 201 North Charles Street, Suite 1300, Baltimore, Maryland

BALTIMORE—Judith Browne, a senior attorney at the Advancement Project in Washington, D.C., will speak about the negative consequences of "zero tolerance" school discipline policies in Baltimore and other cities at an Open Society Institute-Baltimore forum on February 18.

Over the last two decades, a spike in juvenile crime rates and a number of high profile school tragedies such as the Columbine High School shooting have led school officials to favor punitive discipline policies over educational or rehabilitative approaches to discipline. These policies—often known as the zero tolerance approach—are marked by inflexible disciplinary practices and punishments that are not always commensurate with the severity of the student's conduct. Offenses such as talking back to the teacher or minor vandalism that used to be dealt with by a principal or a parent are now being handled by police. Many children are discouraged from coming back to school after their suspensions are over, leaving them without a degree or options for the future. And children who are suspended or expelled are far more likely to end up involved in the juvenile justice system.

"In school district after school district, an inflexible and unthinking zero tolerance approach to an exaggerated juvenile crime problem is derailing the educational process," said Browne. "The educational system is starting to look more like the criminal justice system. This runaway train must be stopped."

Browne will base her talk on two reports from the Advancement Project, Derailed: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track and Opportunities Suspended: The Devastating Consequences of Zero Tolerance and School Discipline. For instance, in Derailed Browne found that while the Baltimore City Public School System has made progress in reducing the number of in-school arrests, the majority of students continue to be arrested for minor offenses that in other settings would not be considered criminal. Browne believes that there need to be changes in the laws to reduce the number of petty cases that schools refer to the juvenile justice system.

"As policymakers attempt to 'Leave No Child Behind,' reducing the criminalization of students by their schools should be a top priority," said Aurie Hall, criminal justice program officer at OSI-Baltimore. "We need to develop other ways to constructively address these problems."

Browne has an extensive background in civil rights legislation and has received national recognition for her work on discipline policies in public schools. In May 2000, Essence Magazine named her as one of the "Thirty Women to Watch."

This forum is a part of the ongoing 2003-4 School Discipline Policies and their Criminal Justice Consequences forum series.

The Open Society Institute is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open society around the world. OSI's U.S. Programs seek to strengthen democracy in the United States by addressing barriers to opportunity and justice, broadening public discussion about such barriers, and assisting marginalized groups to participate equally in civil society and to make their voices heard. U.S. Programs challenge over-reliance on the market by advocating appropriate government responsibility for human needs and promoting public interest and service values in law, medicine, and the media. OSI's U.S. Programs support initiatives in a range of areas, including access to justice for low and moderate income people; independence of the judiciary; ending the death penalty; reducing gun violence and over-reliance on incarceration; drug policy reform; inner-city education and youth programs; fair treatment of immigrants; reproductive health and choice; campaign finance reform; and improved care of the dying. OSI is part of the network of foundations, created and funded by George Soros, active in more than 50 countries around the world.