Effects of prolonged school expulsions on juvenile future behavior

Schools are increasingly using lengthy expulsions of students for offenses committed on school property.  Expulsion is basically the permanent removal of a student from school for breaking serious rules or policies in the school.  While the discipline code of every school varies, expulsion is usually regarded as the highest form of punishment.  In most cases, expulsion of students from school is utilized after other forms of discipline and punishment are ineffective in correcting a student’s behaviors.  Additionally, decisions on expulsions of students are usually recommended by the school principal and include an explanation of the specific offense or reason contributing to this form of punishment.

The determination of when expulsion would be an appropriate form of discipline or punishment varies across different schools.  This variation is also attributable to the lack of statutory lists of grounds for expulsion since schools have different policies on what constitutes a suitable cause for permanent removal of a child from the school (Education Law Center, 2012).  However, there are some common factors that would constitute suitable grounds for expulsion of a student.  One of these factors includes the potential harm a student may pose to others within the school environment.  Expulsion would be appropriate if a student poses harm to him/herself, to his/her colleagues and teachers, and to school property.  In this case, expulsion is utilized to protect other people in the learning environment and school property.  Additionally, expulsion would be appropriate in cases where the student continues to deliberately disobey and violate school policies, damages school property, is involved and convicted of a crime, and possesses or uses illegal drugs in the school environment.

While expulsion would be appropriate in the previously described situations, there are alternatives to this form of punishment.  One of the most suitable and effective alternatives to expulsion is positive behavioral interventions.  These interventions help in addressing a student’s undesirable and challenging behaviors in a manner that is beneficial to the student and the school.  The use of these interventions requires conducting a functional behavioral assessment to determine the causes of the student’s behaviors.  The information derived from the assessment is in turn utilized to develop positive interventions and support that deal with the behavior.  Positive behavioral interventions are suitable alternatives to expulsion since they are based on an objective and accurate understanding of a student’s behaviors in relation to the social and environmental factors contribute to them.  The other suitable alternative to expulsion is restorative justice which involves engaging the student to repair the harm/dangers of his/her bad behaviors.  Unlike expulsion, this intervention helps in establishing a safe learning environment in which students are engaged in repairing the negative consequences of their bad behaviors.

Even though expulsion has been traditionally used as a means of disciplining or punishing offenses, there have been numerous concerns in the recent past on its impact on the future behaviors of juveniles.  Recent studies have indicated that expulsion increases the likelihood of children to engage in crime and be arrested, which generates concerns on the effectiveness of expulsion as a form of punishment (Healy, 2014).  School suspensions and expulsions increase the likelihood of juvenile arrest by increasing the chances of a criminal behavior.  Forced removal from school through expulsion has been found to have positive links to contact with juvenile justice system.  Based on a study conducted in 2014, expelled students are twice as likely to be arrested for criminal behavior a few months after expulsion from school (Healy, 2014).  This implies that expulsion is not an effective form of punishment since it contributes to high likelihood of juvenile arrest.  In essence, expulsion from school does not discourage criminal behavior, but encourages it and leads to juvenile arrest.