The article I have chosen for this reflection paper is “Look Out Kid, It’s Something You Did,” written by Bernadine Dohrn in 2013. This article details the criminalization of children as it has progressed over the past few decades. It opens with examples of school shootings and how they have shifted the public perspective of violence perpetrated by adolescents. With the proliferation of handguns in the homes of adolescents within the United States, the rates of children murdered by other children have skyrocketed. I feel there is a strong aspect of shock value when it comes to instances like these, which draws a disproportionate amount of media attention, but this does not account for the staggering results of cases of this nature. Dohrn notes
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The extent to which school administrators have been undermined, and in some ways, replaced by uniformed police officers within public high schools is staggering. The scope of “reasonable” arrests and expulsions within schools grew in the last few decades, and a larger percentage of adolescents, particularly those of color, were being arrested and charged for crimes that would rarely warrant even a 911 call outside of a high school. This pattern of aggressive arrests has extremely negative and counterintuitive side effects for the adolescents involved. While out-of-school suspensions have been growing in popularity throughout the country, this leaves children in often unsuitable home environments that may lend to even more crime and violence. Often times, school is a sanctuary for those living in poverty, and removing them for nearly negligible reasons only exacerbates the chances they will become involved with crime in their neighborhoods. In addition, having juvenile criminal records disallows many adolescents from participating in and receiving benefits such as scholarships, job eligibility, and potentially even higher education opportunities. This results in a vicious cycle—those who have committed crimes are not offered opportunities to improve themselves and their conditions, but rather are more likely to commit more crimes in the …show more content…
These concerns are near to my heart as the eldest of four siblings, giving me extensive insight into the experiences of children within school districts that implement police force at all levels. While it is clear that the prevalence of firearms in the hands of children is an issue, the solution is not to incarcerate those under the age of eighteen, before they’ve gotten a proper chance to fully develop emotionally and make succinct, well-rounded decisions for themselves. The only true way forward is to arm our nation’s children with unparalleled knowledge, so that they may continue to mature, learn, and someday teach the future children of their generation as
The extent to which school administrators have been undermined, and in some ways, replaced by uniformed police officers within public high schools is staggering. The scope of “reasonable” arrests and expulsions within schools grew in the last few decades, and a larger percentage of adolescents, particularly those of color, were being arrested and charged for crimes that would rarely warrant even a 911 call outside of a high school. This pattern of aggressive arrests has extremely negative and counterintuitive side effects for the adolescents involved. While out-of-school suspensions have been growing in popularity throughout the country, this leaves children in often unsuitable home environments that may lend to even more crime and violence. Often times, school is a sanctuary for those living in poverty, and removing them for nearly negligible reasons only exacerbates the chances they will become involved with crime in their neighborhoods. In addition, having juvenile criminal records disallows many adolescents from participating in and receiving benefits such as scholarships, job eligibility, and potentially even higher education opportunities. This results in a vicious cycle—those who have committed crimes are not offered opportunities to improve themselves and their conditions, but rather are more likely to commit more crimes in the …show more content…
These concerns are near to my heart as the eldest of four siblings, giving me extensive insight into the experiences of children within school districts that implement police force at all levels. While it is clear that the prevalence of firearms in the hands of children is an issue, the solution is not to incarcerate those under the age of eighteen, before they’ve gotten a proper chance to fully develop emotionally and make succinct, well-rounded decisions for themselves. The only true way forward is to arm our nation’s children with unparalleled knowledge, so that they may continue to mature, learn, and someday teach the future children of their generation as