Zero Tolerance Policies

Since the 1980s and 1990s, Americans have been led to believe that school violence is more prevalent than it actually is.1 Many schools have adopted "zero tolerance" policies which require mandatory consequences, often suspensions and expulsions for certain infractions despite the actual severity or threat to safety of the behaviors.2 The implementation of such policies suggested that schools would become safer and the needs of all students would be better served. The proliferation of zero tolerance and related policies that resulted in what is sometimes referred to as "school pushout," have had the unintended effects of unnecessarily introducing many low-risk youth to the juvenile justice system for disruptive behaviors that are very typical
of adolescence. In Denver, for example, referrals to the juvenile justice system increased by more than 70% due to zero tolerance policies.3 Zero tolerance and similar mandatory consequence policies also remove students from the education system, thus threatening the buffering effects that school involvement can have on delinquency.4,5 A study in Texas found that more than 50% of students grades 7 through 12 who had been suspended were more likely to either drop out of school completely or repeat a grade than students who were handled differently.4 School suspensions and expulsions also disproportionately affect minority and special education populations.6,7,8
The practices resulting from zero tolerance policies do not align with current research suggesting that school involvement is a protective factor against juvenile delinquency4, while suspension and expulsion can lead to increased risks of delinquent behavior.5 Furthermore, early introduction to the juvenile justice system can increase the likelihood of subsequent criminality and system involvement, particularly for disadvantaged youth.