Identify the problems, policies, and systems that feed the pipeline that takes kids from the cradle and leads them to prison according to the Children's Defense Fund. Which do you believe to be the most problematic? Explain

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Lack of access to health and mental health care
• Child abuse and neglect
• Lack of quality childhood education
• Failing schools
• Zero tolerance school discipline policies
• Unsupported community institutions
• Neighborhoods saturated with drugs and violence
• A culture that glorifies excessive consumption, violence, and triviality
• Rampant racial and economic disparities in child- and youth-serving systems
• Tougher sentencing guidelines
• Too few positive alternatives to the streets after school and in the summer months
• Too few positive role models and mentors in the home, community, social, and cultural life
• Student views will vary