Clip of the Week: "Project Liberty"

Bars on windows, metal detectors, holding cells, armed police, invasive pat-downs—while expected in our prison system, these elements are all too common in NY City public schools. As NY schools increasingly resemble our jails, "Project Liberty" examines the School to Prison pipeline, with more students pushed out of NYC schools through suspensions, expulsions, and arrests, and making their way into the criminal justice system.

When school safety officers discipline students, instead of educators, the results are detrimental. Officer-student interactions can rapidly escalate, leading to excessive punishments, including suspension and expulsion, for minor misbehaviors. A single suspension in high school lowers a student’s odds of graduating in four years by 46%, and youth who leave high school before graduating often enter the criminal justice system.

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union) discusses the School to Prison pipeline, its consequences, and potential solutions.