School Referrals to Juvenile Justice and Student Outcomes
Background
Involvement with the juvenile justice system has lasting consequences for youth and society. While research on the school-to-prison pipeline often focuses on school discipline practices such as suspensions, less attention has been paid to the effects of referring students to the juvenile justice system for school-based offenses.
Purpose
This study examines the impact of juvenile justice referrals for school-based offenses on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. Using linked administrative data from North Carolina, it compares students referred to juvenile justice with those disciplined internally for similar offenses.
Outcome
The findings show that students referred to juvenile justice experience lower academic achievement, higher absenteeism, and greater involvement in future disciplinary actions and juvenile justice contact. These referrals reflect discretionary decisions rather than inevitability, and they disproportionately affect female students, Black students, and economically disadvantaged students. The study highlights the need to reconsider school disciplinary practices to reduce inequities and prevent harmful long-term outcomes.