An Exploration of Department of Juvenile Justice Personnel Experiences with Youth in the School-to-Prison Pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline is a pervasive national issue in which youth are exiting educational settings and entering juvenile justice settings. Yet, while this is a prevalent issue, there are avenues of study and approaches to addressing this issue that have yet to be researched. The following study explored one such avenue: the experiences of adults working with youth in the pipeline. Three streams of literature informed this research: the student population in the pipeline, policies and practices directed toward those in the pipeline, and the use of non-punitive practices to address the pipeline. A small sample of nine adults, out of a total of 86 employed in a variety of positions within a local division of a New York state agency, participated in semi-structured interviews to provide the research data. The findings showed that, while the participants have varying roles, they shared similar experiences and perceptions regarding the understanding of and interacting with youth in the pipeline, the relationship between education and the pipeline, and addressing the needs of youth. Each of the results that emerged from the findings aligned with the findings and results from previous research studies. It was concluded that, for the participants, there is an issue with the juvenile incarceration rate, that experiences working with youth in the pipeline are mostly positive, and there is a history of negative experiences working with the public education system. Finally, recommendations for both action and future research were given.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201