School to Prison Pipeline

School to Prison Pipeline Reflection:

I had never heard of this phrase before even though I knew that students are being punished severely for ridiculous crimes and the students suffering these severe consequences are from low-budget  schools. Several examples of actual events in which high school and even younger students have been punished harshly for small mistakes are presented in the documentaries. This nation seems to be terrified and even traumatized by horrific events such as the shootings at schools. What school officials, administrators and cops seem to forget is that unfortunately, such events cannot be avoided or predicted. We can learn from our mistakes and even slightly prepare for when the situation takes place but the measures we are taking now are not helping at all. We cannot assume that students that make mistakes will continue on the path to evil, instead we should help them, guide them and apply an appropriate punishment. There is no way to tell for sure, even though I suppose there are hints, who is going to commit a terrible crime or not. Our youth is being punished because those in charge in our society are scared of them. Putting handcuffs on someone so young is only ruining their reputation and even their future. It is not teaching them a lesson and no one deserves to be put in handcuffs for something so small as stealing a piece of gum. We make the wrong choices sometimes and there should be consequences but harsh punishments are nothing but an abuse of power. It is true that certain habits, for example smoking, can be a gateway to bigger and worse things but these situations have to be dealt with professionally and fairly. When students are suspended or arrested for petty crimes, it is basically saying "WE GIVE UP ON YOU & WE JUST WANT TO GET RID OF YOU BEFORE YOU CONTAMINATE OTHERS WITH YOUR BAD INFLUENCE!" This is exactly what I would think if I ever got suspended, put in handcuffs, and taken to jail for writing on a bathroom stall.