The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.

their violent counterparts. Overall, this criminalization is thought to be harmful due to its
impact on the perception and Black and Latinx youth have of themselves and their
capability to be successful within society.
Many also believe that the juvenile justice system is a part of the school to prison
pipeline which funnels individuals from public school to the criminal and juvenile justice
systems. Harsher disciplinary rules prevent individuals from re-entering schools
following an offense, making it more likely for them to experience social pressures such
as law income and unemployment that reform groups perceive to lead to criminal
activity.
Additionally, in school arrests contribute to the pipeline. Advocates of reform point to the
fact that 70% of students arrested at school are Black, further contributing to the
criminalization and mass incarceration of Black individuals.
“There is a growing body of evidence that identifies child maltreatment as a predictor of
lifetime anti-social and criminal behavior” (Basto-Pereira, Miranda, Ribeiro, & Maia.
(2016). Whatever the reason for the criminal behavior, there must be countermeasures
that are developed to keep people that are more than likely to commit a crime from
committing them. After school programs, community involvement in youth, diversionary
programs must be in place to keep youth that have a higher risk of committing a crime
from continuing their crime involvement. If you do not start something at the beginning,
you will never address the cause of the issue.
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