School and Philanthropy's Relationship to Criminal Justice

Schools and Philanthropy’s Relationship to Criminal Justice Karen Kajmowicz

Criminal justice reform advocate Kyle Bacon writes that “funding strategies like grassroots organizing and advocacy garners a return of $115 for every dollar invested.” That return might not be seen in the form of cash, but it can be seen in the form of positive impacts made on the communities most impacted by the criminal justice system. Here are a few positive societal impacts that are driven by philanthropic dollars.

ACADEMIC INTERVENTION Students who struggle in school are more likely to exhibit behavioral problems. When punitive measures are taken to resolve behavioral problems, students are introduced into the criminal justice system. This might not happen right away, but as behavior declines and resources dwindle, a moment of positive intervention can be lost. Increased funding to non-profits and community-led organizations, as well as supplemental grants to government agencies, create partnerships between all of the entities that come into contact with a troubled student. In this capacity, philanthropic funding supports one-on-one mentoring, academic enrichment, testing, counseling and other services that can redirect a student toward better outcomes, such as higher learning.

POLICY CHANGE Punitive policies at the school level can introduce students into the school-to-prison pipeline. Students with parents who already incarcerated are familiar with punitive systems of justice and may find it more difficult to escape the pipeline without policies that encourage restorative practices. However, policy change requires evidence-based success and measurable outcomes. Non-profit organizations and even municipal level governments have difficulty defining success. Without a clear definition, evidence-based solutions are nearly impossible to achieve. Enter grants and other forms of philanthropy. Grants requiring feedback reporting data have evidence-based processes embedded into the funding requirements. Entities receiving the grant must define success and must make it measurable, and the effort to do is often funded by the grant. In other words, philanthropy’s impact is at the most grassroots level where it helps build a foundation upon which reform efforts and policy change grow.

Grants and other funding efforts impact and disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline at two levels. The first is at the individual level, where funding is used to intervene in the pipeline process. The second is at the institutional level, where policy change can be accomplished.

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