Abstract
Juvenile crime rates have declined steadily since 1994 (Nelson & Lind, 2015) and the number of youths in juvenile detention centers has dropped (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2011; Hockenberry, 2014; Nelson & Lind, 2015; Smith, 1998); however, school discipline polices are moving in the other direction (Nelson & Lind, 2015). In recent years, the lines between the public school system and the juvenile justice system have become indistinct. There are several trends in K-12 education contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline such as declining school funding, resegregation of schools by race and class, under-representation of students of color in advanced placement, over-representation of student of color in special education, the creation and expansion of “zero-tolerance” policies, tracking, increased presence of SROs, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), standardized testing, and rising drop-out rates (Heitzeg et al., 2009). However, the focus here is the expansion and increased reliance on “zero-tolerance” policies and the use of the SRO to enforce those policies which play an immediate and integral role in feeding the school-to-prison pipeline.
TopThe School Resource Officer (Sro)
School resource officers (SROs) are sworn law enforcement officers who are deployed by a police department/sheriff’s department in a community-oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools (Coon & Travis, 2012). SROs are responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.
NASRO (2021) recommends that law enforcement agencies utilize a rigorous selection process when selecting officers for SRO assignments and that officers received at least 40 hours of specialized training, beyond basic law enforcement training/academy, in school policing before being assigned.
According to NASRO (2021), the goals of a well-founded SRO program include:
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providing safe learning environment,
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providing valuable resources to school staff members,
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fostering positive relationships with youth, and
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developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students.