Collateral Consequences of Student Contact with Police

Contact between students and police can have long-lasting negative consequences. Students enter the justice system in one of two ways: by being arrested and placed in the juvenile justice system or by receiving a summary citation in adult court, usually without being arrested.
These legal consequences of juvenile adjudications are not often discussed, and few understand the impact that youth face as a result of their court involvement. Adjudications of delinquency, or juvenile convictions, can follow an individual throughout adulthood and have far-reaching consequences on a youth’s ability to join the military, pursue higher education, obtain housing, or secure employment. These consequences disproportionately harm youth who are already most at risk, such as youth of color, or those who are LGBTQIA.
Administrators and teachers should be informed about the impact that student contact with the justice system can have on students’ short, and long-term, opportunities. That way school officials can make decisions about the most appropriate ways to discipline students that protects school safety, the well-being of students at large, and the interests of the student subject to discipline while minimizing system contact.

Rhonda McKitten is a Stoneleigh Fellow at the Philadelphia Police Department. She has committed her career to improving the relationship between youth and police. For 16 years, she worked at the Defender Association of Philadelphia in a variety of roles, most recently as the Director of Juvenile Grants and Policy.

The target audience for this event is advocacy groups that work with youth and decision makers within school districts of Allegheny County. 

Hosted by the Black Girls Equity Alliance and the ACLU of Pennsylvania. 

Parking is available in Lot A which is directly across the street from the AJ Palumbo Building on Fifth Avenue. There are also bus stops directly outside the building for anyone who will be coming by bus. The other two lots (B and C) are also options but they are further up the hill and would require some walking to get to AJP. Please refer to the campus map: https://www.carlow.edu/uploadedFiles/About/Maps_Directions_and_Parking/carlow-campus-map.pdf