The Justice System Has Been Shadowed by Racial Discrimination - Research Paper Example

Introduction According to the social (justice gap 2), the number of prisoners in the last ten years hasrapidly risen by more than 25, 000. However, this growth has particularly been marked among the minority ethnic groups and the Blacks. It is evident that the number of the minority ethnic group and the Black is higher compared to that of whites. Black British people are now said to make up 12 percent of the population in the prisons, whereas they constitute a 2 percent of the whole population. Though surveys show a small difference in the offending rates among the different ethnic groups, Black and minor ethnic groups are actually over-represented at each and every stage in the system of criminal justice right from a stop and search to the custody (The racial justice gap 2). This paper seeks to highlight the reasons to which the justice system has been shadowed by the racial discrimination. It highlights the issues in the education system that may cause the over-representation of African American males in the justice system of the United States. School to Prison Pipeline It is suggested that situational variables alters the educational path of the of the African American males. These include the experience of harsher practices of discipline, being taught by teachers who are unprepared, referral to special education, as well as the feeling of detachment from the school. This is what contribute to the pipeline of school to prison, where techniques of exclusionary discipline experienced by the African American males tends to alienate them from the education system to criminal justice system. This claim is supported by the issuance of practices of exclusionary discipline to the African American males in the 53 counties, in Midwestern United states which may have resulted to an increase in the juvenile court referrals for the victims (Blake, Texas & M University 2). Exclusionary Discipline Practices of exclusionary discipline may have negative effects on children. These practices include expulsion, suspension and educational programs of disciplinary alternatives. These disciplinary alternative programs suspension programs out of school given to students with severe offences resulting in the long term suspension from the regular setting of education. These exclusionary discipline practices are mostly experienced by the Black and Minor ethnic groups. The utilization of these practices may lead to feelings such as those of school disengagement and perceptions that the education system is unsupportive. This normally leads to loss of interest in learning and subsequent associate with the deviant peer groups and this may increase the chances of criminal activities (Blake, Texas & M University 3). Zero Tolerance Policies in Education These are the policies developed by an institution to provide a secure and safe learning environment in a consistent and fair manner. However, the punishment has been found not to be in consistent with severity of the commission of discipline infraction thus making the students unable to learn the rules and the consequences for their actions. Some of the assumptions of the zero tolerance have been found to suggest that students in the school would be safer if those violating the rules are removed from the environment of the school and discipline implemented uniformly. There is also an assumption that these policies are being supported by the parents so that the school safety may be improved. Black and Minor Ethnic groups are the most affected by the rules of zero tolerance given the fact that they are the most likely to experience high chances of the allocation of discipline actions taken on breaking the rules of zero tolerance practices. As a result, these students spend most of their time outside the classes and hence develop feelings of alienation from the school, they record high rates of dropout and incarceration rates that are alarming (Blake, Texas & M University 4). Additional Explanations for Disproportionality There are those who argue that the African American children are more likely to engage in behaviour of non-compliant or misbehave due to the fact that they are from impoverished homes. Research shows that African American children who have grown up in poverty are not prepared to follow the school rules with regard to their behaviours. Those from poor families have been found to be the recipients of severe punishments for discipline infractions compared to those from families with high income. It has also been found that African American male display behaviours that are disruptive than the rest of their peers. They are said to portray behaviour difficulties and higher levels of aggressive behaviour. However, other researchers have discovered that the African American male normally gets a harsher punishment for offences that are severe in comparison to the European males (Blake, Texas & M University 5). Alternatives to Punitive Discipline Solutions have been proposed for curtailing the effects of practices of exclusionary discipline due to their adverse effects on the African American males and the contribution this has to the pipeline of school to pipeline. More proactive and less punitive alternatives are some of the strategies proposed to alleviate school to prison pipeline by reducing the effects of exclusionary discipline. Some of the suggested strategies include implementation of interventions like anger management and skills training programs. Proactive alternatives should be incorporated by the Positive Behavioural Interventions and Support (PBIS) (Blake, Texas & M University 5). PBIS use proactive and positive approaches to discipline including clearly objectifying the set rules, reinforcing the appropriate behaviours and teaching interaction styles that are appropriate between the staff and students. According to PBIS, the cause of the behaviour is the interaction that exists between an individual and the environment surrounding him. Therefore, change in the environment is assumed to make changes in the behaviours of both the students and staff. PBIS is seen as likely to decrease the discipline referrals in offices and increase positive climate in schools (Blake 5). Unique Contributions by Mental Health Professionals from School-Based According to Blake (6), for appropriate and effective intervention in reduction of discipline that is disproportionate the school-based mental health professionals must make a thorough investigation of the necessary data to determine whether there are unfavourable patterns in the exclusionary discipline within the target school. This data can hence be used in the implementation of intervention strategies that are appropriate in regard to the discrepancies revealed though analysis. The decision made from data can enforce intervention in different ways including: Cultural Competency Training If the African American males are actually found to be overrepresented in the office referrals the reduction to practices of disproportionate discipline would be helped by cultural competency training. Scholars have suggested that teachers can actually be biased and contribute to referrals of disproportionate discipline other than the behaviour of the student. This may happen when the teachers reflect on their cultural traditions, beliefs about families, and expectations hence distinguishing themselves from the students. This cultural mismatch creates an environment whereby the students feel disengaged, excluded and alienated from the process of education (Blake, Texas & M University 7). African American males may be viewed by teachers as individuals who do not conform to their norms thus labelling them as troublemakers. This together with anxiety can make teachers as well as administrators of education to punitively react more towards males that are African America. Training of teachers through school based mental health professional give directions for teachers to better understand the communication styles of the African American males. The teachers should learn to understand the overlapping speech used by the African American males. This speech, which may be, fuelled by the verbal impulsivity and student enthusiasm could be seen as disrespectful by the teachers. The school community should also be helped to acknowledge the African American students’ accomplishments in life including religious service and athletics accomplishments (Blake, Texas & M University 7). Classroom Management Strategies The school-based mental health professional should provide teachers with management strategies of the classroom. Teachers should be provided with strategies to decrease the excessive referrals if data on discipline indicate certain students are used for referrals more than others. The teachers should be provided with an understanding of the various variables that would affect the student behaviour including being bored, avoiding class work, getting attention and the feeling of academic frustration and helping the teachers feel confident that they would teach behaviour as they would teach academics. Classroom management techniques should also be introduced to maximize the access of teachers to the students, a particular discipline expectation and the consequences implemented for all the students (Blake, Texas & M University). Fostering School Belonging These African America male students that often get punitive discipline at the school normally feel ostracized and disconnected. It is, therefore, important to reconnect them with their teachers and the school community by providing academic programming and after-school sports (Blake, Texas & M University 8). Conclusions There prisons have been overrepresented by the African American males. The reason has been tracked to be the school to prison pipeline. This paper has covered the problems in the educational system that have a contribution to the overrepresentation of the African American males in prisons and how these can be addressed by the school-based mental health professionals. Works Cited Blake, Jamilia, Texas A & M University . Overrepresentation of African American Males in Exclusionary Discipline: The Role of School-Based Mental Health Professionals in Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline. Journal of African American males in education, Vol. 1 issue 3, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from Racial Justice gap. Race and the prison population Briefing smart justice: Smart justice, 2004. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from: Read More