Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline: Removing Policies and Practices that Favor Incarceration Over Education

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

The Cambio Group

Second Presenter's Institution

N/A

Third Presenter's Institution

N/A

Fourth Presenter's Institution

N/A

Fifth Presenter's Institution

N/A

Location

Sessioin 5 (Harborside Center East)

Strand #1

Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

School mental health initiatives tend to seek to address the gap between at-risk students of color who need and those who receive mental health services and/or interventions that does not lead to exclusionary discipline. Dismantling The School to Prison Pipeline: Meeting the Needs of At-Risk Students of Color is a presentation that focuses on identifying interventions that incorporate both Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports with Mental Health, which would reduce the School to Prison Pipeline and promote healthy development among at-risk students of color.

Brief Program Description

Many times, at-risk students of color struggle behaviorally, emotionally, and socially; leading them to view school as a place in which they cannot excel. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss specific interventions that may reduce negative educational experiences for At-Risk Students of Color, increase their feelings of school belongingness, and begin to dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline

Summary

At-Risk students of color are at an increased risk for experiencing disciplinary practices within the school setting that excludes them from the school environment. Research has shown that such practices has been a contributing factor in at-risk students of color engaging in maladaptive behaviors leading to their involvement in the criminal justice system as they approach adolescence and adulthood. Such connection (exclusionary discipline and increased incarceration rates) has now been termed the School to Prison Pipeline. While there is limited empirical evidence that the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support system (PBIS), will exclusively decrease the School to Prison Pipeline, it is noted that school-based mental health professionals have a unique role and possess skills that would afford them the ability to assist educators in the reduction of adverse outcomes among at-risk students of color within the school environment, by providing education on development trauma and developing interventions that incorporate both Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and School Mental Health to improve the educational outcomes of at-risk students of color.

Evidence

The United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (2015) reported that in 2015 the number of inmates housed in both state and federal prison systems had decreased by more than two percent (2%) from the number of prisoners housed in 2014 (U.S. Department of Justice, 2016). Though the prison system had experienced its largest decline since 1978, what failed to remain unchanged was the incarceration rate of African Americans, more specifically African American males. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice data suggested that African American males were three times more likely than non-African American males to be incarcerated. Most African American males who are incarcerated lack education and has been found to have reported that the following were reasons for them not obtaining their high school diploma: academic disengagement and problems, along with behavioral problems (U.S. Department of Justice, 2003). Other issues that are prevalent and are considering contributing factors, include: socio-economic background and environmental stressors. Research by Drake et al., 2001 has shown that mental health services and interventions that are evidenced based or empirically supported improve the functioning of children and adolescents. Through training, school-based mental health professionals can begin to provide education and direction for educators that would lend to the understanding of the unique challenges faced by at-risk student of color; academically, behaviorally, emotionally, and socially, and begin to meet their needs with the intention of promoting positive development and academic success, while dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Karla L. Sapp is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC), Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor and Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University. Dr. Sapp is also a graduate of Armstrong Atlantic State University (BS Criminal Justice) and South University-Savannah. Dr. Sapp has been practicing for 8 years, specializing in mental health and addictions counseling, within the following settings: inpatient acute hospitalization, outpatient, drug court, and is currently a Drug Treatment Specialist with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where she works with incarcerated male offenders. She has also worked with the military population, while providing services within the inpatient setting, as well as juvenile offenders as a Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist II with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice for 5 years. Dr. Sapp is the owner of U Matter Consulting and Counseling, LLC located in Southeast Georgia. Dr. Sapp is an Adjunct Psychology Professor at Armstrong State University and was previously an Adjunct Faculty member at South University in the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Dr. Sapp, a scholarly practitioner, also has a research interest in Developmental Trauma/Psychology, School-Based Mental Health, Sports Counseling/Psychology, Lifestyle Choices and Wellness, Identity Development, and Disaster Mental Health/Crisis Counseling.

Keyword Descriptors

School to Prison Pipeline, Developmental Trauma, At-Risk Students of Color, PBIS, Social and Emotional Skills, School Based Mental Health

Presentation Year

2019

Start Date

3-5-2019 10:15 AM

End Date

3-5-2019 11:30 AM

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Mar 5th, 10:15 AM Mar 5th, 11:30 AM

Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline: Removing Policies and Practices that Favor Incarceration Over Education

Sessioin 5 (Harborside Center East)

Many times, at-risk students of color struggle behaviorally, emotionally, and socially; leading them to view school as a place in which they cannot excel. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss specific interventions that may reduce negative educational experiences for At-Risk Students of Color, increase their feelings of school belongingness, and begin to dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline