School To Prison Pipeline in Florida

Care2 News Network

In the years 2006-2007 Florida schools sent 23,000 students to the criminal justice system, with approximately 70 percent of those youth suffering from at least one mental health disorder, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Black males were disproportionately represented in those referrals, comprising 33 percent of all referrals to the juvenile justice system, despite the fact that they make up only 23 percent of Florida students. In Palm Beach County alone, more than 80 percent of students with disabilities referred by Palm Beach County Schools to the juvenile justice system were black males.