School Suspensions and Juvenile Justice Punishment: An Assessment of the School-to-Prison Pipeline

This study investigated the influence of school suspensions on three juvenile court outcomes among male students referred from school: dismissal, diversion, and probation. It also investigated whether the relationship between school suspensions and court outcomes were moderated by four offense types: violent, property, drugs/alcohol, and disorderly conduct. Utilizing data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Research Partnership Project, contrary to expectations, suspensions increased the likelihood of diversion but decreased the likelihood of probation. Moderation effects were limited, among youth charged with violent offenses, suspensions reduced the probability of dismissal and increased the likelihood of diversion. Property and drugs/alcohol offenses did not moderate the relationship between suspensions and diversion in the expected direction. These findings suggest that the relationship between school suspensions and juvenile court outcomes is more complex and context-specific than initially anticipated.