Keeping Kids

in School
PHILADELPHIA POLICE SCHOOL DIVERSION PROGRAM

and Out of Court

Children cant learn if they dont feel safe.

Teachers cant teach effectively if there are disruptions,
distractions, or threats against them or their students.

As in other cities, Philadelphias

policies also resulted in troubling
racial disparities, with AfricanAmerican males arrested at higher
rates for similar behaviors and
confronted with harsher disciplinary
actions, such as suspension and
expulsion, than students from
other backgrounds.
In 2012, the School District of
Philadelphia (SDP) ended its
zero tolerance policy in favor of a
disciplinary code that emphasized a
more individualized approach, giving
principals and staff more discretion in
their responses to misbehavior.

Within the first year of the Diversion

Program, not only did the number of
arrests drop by 54%, but there were
1,051 fewer behavioral incidents in
SDP schools.

In 20142015, its first academic

year, the Police School Diversion
Program already demonstrated great
success: arrests are down 54 percent,
and hundreds of young people and
their families have been afforded an
opportunity to turn their lives around.
Importantly, a reduction in the
number of school-based behavioral
incidents accompanied this reduction
in arrest rates in Philadelphia
schoolsthere were 1,051 fewer
behavioral incidents than in the
previous school year.

5000

Principals, staff, and SDP police

officers are essential to making this

8000

7000

6000

4000

3000

2000

1000

ARRESTS

But while the number of arrests

skyrocketed, the number of
behavioral incidents did not go down.

Then, in spring 2014, the Philadelphia

Police Department and the Citys
Department of Human Services
partnered with the SDP to bring a
new Police School Diversion Program
to the schools. As an alternative
to arrest, professionals intervene
with a range of social services
and counseling for studentsand,
crucially, their parents or caregivers
when children first get into trouble.
Collaborating partners include
Family Court, the District Attorneys
Office, the Department of Behavioral
Health, and the Defender Association
of Philadelphia.

INCIDENTS

Yet zero tolerance policiesthe

safety procedures used for decades by
schools around the nation, including
in Philadelphiahave hurt more
than they have helped. Thousands
of students were pushed into the
juvenile justice system, creating a
veritable school-to-prison pipeline.
There were nearly 1,600 school-based
arrests in Philadelphia during the
20132014 school year.

potential model successful.

2

2013-14

2014-15

WHY DEVELOP A POLICE SCHOOL DIVERSION PROGRAM?

The zero tolerance policy enforced in the SDP from 2002 to 2011 mandated predetermined punishments
for certain school infractions, regardless of the reasons for the behavior. For example, possession of
anything that could conceivably be used as a weapon was punished with arrest. It didnt matter whether the
weapon was a pair of scissors mistakenly left in a backpack or a loaded gun brought to school on purpose.

The one-size fits all response of zero

tolerance policies disregards the
fact that thousands of students in
the SDP have been deeply affected

Furthermore, recent census data

shows that more than 1/3 of all
youth in Philadelphia live in poverty.
As a result, many children come to

by traumatic events in their homes

or neighborhoods. Many have
experienced poverty, hunger, unstable
family lives, and street violence. One
estimate from the Philadelphia-based
Education Law Center indicated
that two out of every three of
Philadelphias 142,000 public school
students have experienced trauma.

school with heightened fight or flight

responses, putting them on edge and
increasing perceptions of threat,
feelings that may be accompanied
by a sense of hopelessness. These
children face very real threats in their
neighborhoods, which may lead them
to bring pepper spray, for example, so
that they can feel safe on their way to
and from school.

2 out of 3 students have experienced trauma:

94,667 students

Surveys find a disturbing percentage

of Philadelphia students with suicidal
thoughts (14.1 percent) and actions
(11.2 percent).
Such children need to feel supported
and safe in a positive school setting,
not pushed away, isolated, and
rejected. Research now shows that
seeking to prevent misbehavior with
the threat of serious consequences
may lead to childrens fear and
isolation, causing more acting out.

Philadelphia Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 2011

31.5% 14.1% 11.2%

FELT SAD OR
HOPELESS
every day for
two weeks in a row

SERIOUSLY
CONSIDERED
SUICIDE

ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE

PRIVACY
Certain juvenile
records and juvenile
court proceedings are
open and available
to the public.

MILITARY
A juvenile arrest may
affect a young persons
ability to enlist in the
military.

IMMIGRATION
A juvenile record
can affect a childs
immigration status.

EXPULSION
A child may be expelled from
school for certain offenses, and
information about delinquency
judgments will be sent to the
next school in which he or
she enrolls.

FINES
The child must pay fines
and court costs and may
be required to pay
restitution.

SENTENCING
A juvenile record for certain
offenses can significantly affect
sentencing for a criminal
conviction as an adult.

CONSEQUENCES
OF A
JUVENILE ARREST

DNA
A child adjudicated of
a felony offense and some
misdemeanor offenses is
required to submit a DNA
sample to the State
DNA Data Base.

A JUVENILE RECORD DOES NOT DISAPPEAR WHEN A CHILD TURNS 18 OR 21

Consider the experience of being

arrested in school: students are
handcuffed, removed from school,
transported to the police station,
fingerprinted, photographed, and
held for processing for up to six hours.
The trauma of the arrest process can
be devastating, and the collateral
consequences of a juvenile record can
extend into adulthood, potentially
affecting future employment and
creating other obstacles to success.
While a juvenile arrest is not equal to
an adult conviction, it is often treated
like one. Contrary to what most
people believe, a juvenile record does
not disappear when a child turns 18 or
21. It can affect a childs opportunities
for the rest of his or her life.

Being arrested can make it even

more difficult for children to cope
with the challenges they already
face. Being removed from school
increases students chances of
dropping out or failing to graduate on
timeand increases the risk of future
delinquent behaviors. Missing school
weakens academic performance and,
often, these misbehaving students
are the very ones who are already
struggling academically. Students
miss the positive adult guidance that
school provides. And an arrest can
undermine students trust in adults.
The need for trauma-informed
programs that take into account the
damaging consequences of juvenile
arrest has become obvious. It is in the
best interest of students, as well as
the school and community members,
to handle low-level misdemeanor
delinquent acts without arrest.

Further, the Police School Diversion

Program aligns with Philadelphias
participation in President Obamas
My Brothers Keeper Initiative which
ensures that boys and young men of
color, who are disproportionately
affected by harsh disciplinary
practices, are supported and provided
the opportunity to succeed.
By providing community-based
social services to students as an
alternative to arrest, the Police
School Diversion Program can
address young peoples needs
while keeping them out of the
justice system, thereby increasing
their chances of staying in school
and reducing the risk of future
misbehavior.

HOW DOES THE POLICE SCHOOL DIVERSION PROGRAM WORK?

The Police School Diversion Program is open to students who are at least ten years old, who have no
previous delinquency adjudications and are not currently under juvenile probation supervision, and who are
involved in low-level summary or misdemeanor delinquent offenses, such as marijuana possession, fighting,
disruptions, graffiti, bullying, threats, or possession of certain items that could be used as weapons.
Participation in the Police School
Diversion Program is not available
to students accused of high-level
offenses, such as drug dealing, gun
possession, sexual assault, or arson.

With the Police School Diversion

Program, qualifying students are
not arrested, but rather diverted to
prevention services to meet their
underlying needs.

DHS IPS Providers and their service

Administering the Police School

Diversion Program is a cooperative
effort by Philadelphias child-serving
agencies, including principals,
teachers, and staff from Philadelphias
214 public schools; the Philadelphia
Police Department (PPD), including
320 SDP police officers and 84
specially trained PPD school police
officers; the Juvenile Justice Services
Division of the Citys Department
of Human Services, including
social workers and staff, as well as
community-based service providers;
and Philadelphias other juvenile
justice system agencies.

DHSs community-based Intensive

Prevention Services (IPS) providers
work with the youth and families
to prevent truancy, to steer youth
away from delinquency by offering
positive role models, improve school
performance, enhance life and social
skills and in many cases help
family relationships through
individual/family counseling and
constructive activities.

and Northeast Philadelphia.

21
4
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Multiple entities
work together
to ensure the
success of the
Police School
Diversion Program.

community-based

A COOPERATIVE
EFFORT

schools
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ce

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areas include: West/South West

Overbrook; South Philadelphia;
Germantown/Mt. Airy; North
Philadelphia; Kensington/Frankford;

ONE STUDENTS STORY

In the fall of 2014, an academically gifted
17-year-old North Philadelphia girl was
caught with a small amount of marijuana
in her school backpackand she could
have been arrested for drug possession.
Had she entered the justice system as a
result, she would have been torn from her
family and community, and might have
been damaged beyond repair.
But she did not enter the system. The
Philadelphia Police Department school
officer and a dedicated social worker at
the Department of Human Services saw
that this girl had been struggling as her
parents went through a rocky divorce.
The social worker understood how she
could be led into thinking that marijuana
would ease her anguish.
So the social worker, along with a school
district police officer and Philadelphia
Police Department school officers,
enrolled the girl in the Philadelphia Police
School Diversion Program. She was not
arrested. And this past June, she received
her high-school diploma. This fall, shell
be a college freshman.

THE DIVERSION
PROGRAM

NO HISTORY OF OFFENSES

STEP BY STEP

STUDENT HAS A RECORD

LOW-LEVEL SUMMARY
OR MISDEMEANOR
DELINQUENT OFFENSE

When a student has been involved in a

behavioral incident or delinquent act:

The PPD school police officer contacts

the Diversion Intake Center to determine
if the student has a previous delinquency
finding or delinquency diversion or
is currently under juvenile probation
supervision. If the student has a record,
he or she is arrested.

HIGH-LEVEL OFFENSE
LP
HOO OLICE
SC

The principal or the

school police officer
contacts the PPD school
police officer.

The PPD school police officer

comes to the school and reviews
the case, talking to any adults
involved, including the childs
teacher, counselor, principal, or
SDP police officer.

The student goes through the arrest process:

he or she is handcuffed, taken to police
headquarters, fingerprinted, photographed,
detained for a maximum of six hours, and
assigned a police identification number that
stays with the student into adulthood.

PPD: Philadelphia Police Department SDP: School District of Philadelphia

EXTRA HELP

As part of the Police School Diversion Program, the

Good Shepherd Mediation Program is providing training
to school principals in conflict resolution and mediation
to strengthen their skills in de-escalating tension within
schools and facilitating more successful outcomes when
working with PPD school police officers, SDP police
officers, families, and other interested parties. PPD
school police officers and SDP police officers have
received similar training.

In addition, groups of students involved in altercations or

behavioral incidents can be referred to the Police School
Diversion Program. Those cases are handled by Good
Shepherd using the principles of restorative justice so
that the students themselves can have the opportunity to
repair the harm they caused.

4
If the student has no such
juvenile justice history,
the student may return to
class while arrangements
are made for him or her to
be given the opportunity
to enter the Police School
Diversion Program. The
principal and school
administrators can continue
to make independent school
disciplinary decisions.

Within 72 hours, a social worker from the

Citys Department of Human Services visits
the students home and speaks with both the
student and the parent/caregiver.
As part of the interview, the social worker
asks questions to help identify underlying
issues that may be influencing the students
conduct: the students level of alienation
from others, rebelliousness, friends involved
in delinquent behavior, bullying (either being
bullied by others or acting as a bully), whether
a parent/caregiver is incarcerated, the parents/
caregivers general attitudes toward the
problem behaviors, and the parents/caregivers
or students use of alcohol or drugs.

In addition, the social worker tries to identify

other issues that may be affecting the students
attitude or behavior. These can include:
THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, such as
access to sufficient food and clothing, stable
housing, and sufficient heat and cooling.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES such as
family conflicts; social or educational issues
that may impact the students life at school;
or parental issues, like unemployment or
legal problems.
HEALTH ISSUES in the family such as illness
or disability.

7
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL COMPETENCY BUILDING
MENTORING
RECREATION
WORK READY PROGRAMMING

DHS

With this information, the social

worker determines whether a referral
for prevention services is appropriate.
The social worker explains the terms
and conditions of the Police School
Diversion Program as well as its value
to the student and parent/caregiver.
Nonetheless, the program is voluntary.
If either the student or the parent/
caregiver chooses not to participate, the
Philadelphia Police come out to explain
the collateral consequences. However,
nearly all students and parents/
caregivers accept the services.

IPS

If the student and parent/caregiver

agree to participate in the program,
they are referred to an Intensive
Prevention Services provider. The
Intensive Prevention Service provider
conducts a thorough intake to identify
the specific services that are needed.
The provider identifies the specific
services that could help the student
change his or her behavior.

COMMUNITY SERVICE/ENGAGEMENT
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

The Intensive Prevention Services

provider assigns a case manager to
the youth and family and schedules
services. Throughout the process,
professionals work together to
coordinate assessment and support,
as well as follow-up.
Over the course of a familys
participation, a social worker visits the
home at least twice each month for
up to a year and stays in contact with
school officials.

EVALUATING OUTCOMES
Dr. Naomi Goldstein and her research team from Drexel Universitys Department of Psychology are the
Police School Diversion Programs research partner. They are evaluating the programs effectiveness,
including academic, behavioral, and well-being outcomes at the individual, school, and district levels.
Diverting Philadelphia students from
arrest to individualized prevention
services can help derail the schoolto-prison pipeline by meeting
students individualized needs rather
than trapping them in the legal

The Police School Diversion Program

has the potential to benefit individual
students, as well as the rest of the
school community, by keeping
youth in school, preventing further
disruptions, and creating a more

During its first year, the Police School

Diversion Program already resulted
in a 54 percent reduction in number
of arrests within SDP schools from
the previous academic year and was
accompanied by approximately a

system for minor misbehavior.

peaceful school environment.

75 percent reduction in number of

expulsions and school disciplinary
transfers. Schools also saw a 17
percent reduction in number of
school-based behavioral incidents,
indicating that school climate can
improve even when students remain
in school following minor incidents.

PROGRAM PARTNERS

Defender Association of Philadelphia

Philadelphia Police Department

Drexel University

School District of Philadelphia

City of Philadelphia,
Department of Human Services, Juvenile

Department of Psychology

Justice Division

Good Shepherd Mediation Program

City of Philadelphia, Office of Grants

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas,

City of Philadelphia,
Office of Public Safety

Family Court in the First Judicial District

Philadelphia District Attorneys Office

ALIGNED INITIATIVES
My Brothers Keeper Philadelphia
Philadelphia Youth Violence Prevention
Collaborative

Special thanks to the Stoneleigh Foundation for its commitment to Philadelphias

children and youth and its generous support of the Police School Diversion Program.

This publication was prepared under grant

# 2014-JZ-FX-K003 from the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP),
U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view or opinions expressed in this

document are those of the author/s and do not
necessarily represent the official position or policies
of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.