5 School-to-prison pipeline

The phrase school-to-prison pipeline describes how certain school policies and practices can increase the chances of young people, particularly from racially minoritised groups, being excluded, criminalised, and ultimately drawn into the youth justice system.

While this term originated in the US, there is growing evidence of its relevance in the UK. Research by the Runnymede Trust (Gillborn et al., 2012) and UK organisations like No More Exclusions point to disproportionate exclusion rates for Black Caribbean pupils and the subsequent risks of criminalisation. According to Barnardo’s (2020), Black Caribbean and Mixed White and Black Caribbean pupils have some of the highest rates of permanent exclusion in the UK. Scholars such as Andrews (2021) and Joseph-Salisbury (2020) have also noted how school surveillance, zero tolerance policies, and institutional bias contribute to a pipeline effect, where punitive education practices feed into the wider criminal justice system.

Once excluded, young people are more likely to:

• fall behind academically
• lose access to supportive adults and services
• become involved in risky or criminalised behaviours
• be targeted for surveillance or policing.

Research from the Youth Justice Board shows that Black children are over four times more likely to be arrested than white children in the UK, and young Black men are significantly more likely to be stopped and searched, even when not committing a crime.

Frances Akinde, who you’ll hear from later in this session, has spoken of how ‘zero tolerance’ behaviour policies often ignore the cultural context or trauma behind certain behaviours. This approach can lead to repeated exclusions, isolation, and eventually a lack of belonging, what she calls ‘a slow push-out, rather than a one-off incident’.

What can practitioners do?

• Examine the impact of school behaviour and appearance policies: are they fair and inclusive?
• Advocate for early intervention, mental health support and restorative approaches rather than punitive ones.
• Build relationships with local organisations supporting racially minoritised youth, like The 4Front Project or No More Exclusions.