Arguments Against Zero Tolerance Theory

The war on drugs and this new wave of dangerous youth gave momentum for Zero Tolerance policies. The adoption of Zero Tolerance policies was an attitude that school officials thought was necessary to keep their schools safe. School officials adopted the Broken Windows theory of crime to fix the problems within schools. This theory analogizes the spread of crime to a few broken windows in a building that go unrepaired and consequently attract criminals who break more windows and soon become squatters. The squatters set fires inside the building, causing more damage or maybe destroying the entire building. The broken windows theory promotes the idea that communities should get tough on the minor offenses and clean up neighborhoods to deter serious crimes. Thus, it becomes necessary to punish minor offense violators. As reported by the Vera Institute of Justice,“Nationally, the number of secondary school students suspended or expelled over the course of a school
Police presence in schools is viewed as enforcing the school to prison pipeline by introducing children to the criminal justice system earlier in life and by criminalizing normal, child behaviors. The role of police officers in schools began in 1958 with the establishment of the first recognized school resource officer program. In 1991, the National Association of School Resource Officers was formed to “provide the highest quality of training to school-based law enforcement officers in order to promote safer schools and safer kids”. Support for the program grew when the United States Department of Justice established the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in Schools grant program in 1999. By the 2007-2008 school year, the presence of law enforcement in schools had tripled that of the 1996-1997 school year (Kang-Brown, et al.,