School Suspensions and Adverse Experiences in Adulthood

Justice Quarterly (2016), DOI: 10.1080/07418825.2016.1168475

Posted: 9 Apr 2016 Last revised: 15 Apr 2016

See all articles by Kerrin Wolf

Kerrin Wolf

Stockton University

Aaron Kupchik

University of Delaware, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

Date Written: April 7, 2016

Abstract

The “school-to-prison pipeline” and the negative effects of suspensions, expulsions and school arrests have received increasing national attention recently. Researchers have documented some of the potential harms of these exclusionary school discipline practices for students, including academic difficulties, increased misconduct, and future justice system contact. However, these investigations have been somewhat limited in scope, as they tend to focus only on students’ academic outcomes and juvenile justice system involvement. In this paper we seek to expand upon prior studies by considering how school suspensions may affect youth in peripheral and long-lasting ways. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health, we analyze whether being suspended from school relates to the likelihood of students experiencing a number of adverse events and outcomes when they are adults. We find that being suspended increases the likelihood that a student will experience criminal victimization, criminal involvement, and incarceration years later, as an adult.

Keywords: school discipline, education, punishment, school-to-prison-pipeline

JEL Classification: I00, K14

Suggested Citation

Wolf, Kerrin and Kupchik, Aaron, School Suspensions and Adverse Experiences in Adulthood (April 7, 2016). Justice Quarterly (2016), DOI: 10.1080/07418825.2016.1168475, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2760336

Kerrin Wolf (Contact Author)

Stockton University ( email )

101 Vera King Farris Drive
Galloway, NJ 08205
United States

Aaron Kupchik

University of Delaware, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice ( email )

329 Smith Hall
Newark, DE 19716
United States
302 831-3267 (Phone)

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