Publication Title:

The School-to-Prison Pipeline and Implications for South Carolina

Author(s):

Mary C. Garvey, M.S.

Date: May 2021

Publication Type: Issue Briefs & Policy Reports

Policy Area: Featured

Page Count: 5

Summary:

When analyzing the broad set of data and research, there is insufficient evidence to determine the absence or existence of a school-to-prison pipeline in Greenville County. While schools play a major factor, research suggests other equally important factors contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon include poverty, race, and educational attainment. Greenville is among the most challenged communities in the United States in terms of economic mobility.[i] Further, high poverty rates and low educational attainment are disproportionately characteristic of non-white community members. When combined with data on implicit bias and exclusionary disciplinary practices such as suspension and expulsion (another risk factor correlated with incarceration), these data suggest that a school-to-prison pipeline could exist in Greenville County and in South Carolina at-large.