Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Education has released new data about students in the justice system, a website for educators to help jailed students with disabilities and resource guides for students and educators to help with the transition from jail to school and reduce recidivism.
• The Huffington Post reports the data highlights the disproportionate representation of black males in the juvenile justice system and the fact that 50,000 people younger than 21 are held in juvenile justice facilities.
• A resource packet called “You Got This” gives students tips in the transition back to school, while the “Transition Toolkit 3.0” helps parents and teachers meet students’ needs after they leave the juvenile justice system.

Dive Insight:

The Obama administration has taken several steps to improve access to education for students and adults in jail, including reminding schools and juvenile justice facilities of their obligation to provide a high-quality education for students at the K-12 level and reopening the Pell Grant program for jailed adults to help them take college classes. Some studies have found striking results when it comes to using prison education to reduce recidivism.

Beyond these policies, the Obama administration’s Justice Department has gone after states for school discipline policies that too often send students to jail. Most recently that has included the “disturbing schools” law in South Carolina, where students can be arrested for a vague range of actions that “disturb” the school environment.