Intentional Training Approaches to Rupture the Carceral Continuum

Year: 2023

Issue: Vol. 39 Issue. 3,4

Journal Name: School Psychology Training and Pedagogy

Title: Intentional Training Approaches to Rupture the Carceral Continuum

Citation: Cullen, E., & Raines, T. C. (2023) Intentional Training Approaches to Rupture the Carceral Continuum. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 39 (3-4), 18-26. 

Abstract: School psychology training programs are in the nascent stages of preparing trainees who disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression. Systemic failures related to school-based pathways to juvenile justice and criminalization are ripe to be ruptured as a part of this shift in training and practice. The movement to prepare trainees who understand their bias and promote educational equity for youth at highest risk for criminalization is growing but intentional curricular changes and strategies are still lacking. More importantly, youth more deeply involved in the carceral continuum, many of them with disabilities, are often forgotten in this conversation. Training programs must be intentional in preparing trainees to intervene and stop the flow of youth, along the carceral continuum at all stages, rather than only focusing on preventative strategies overlooking the intervention needs of incarcerated youth. This includes preparing future school psychologists with the tools to be meaningful partners in penal education systems, highlighting the importance of effective interagency collaboration and consultation, and understanding the nuances of reentry and reintegration. This paper reviews available literature on educational supports for incarcerated youth and highlights alignment with school psychology training goals. We also offer suggestions for how training programs can integrate these recommendations into existing curriculum to prepare school psychologists who support youth along the carceral continuum.Keywords: shortages, training in school psychology, recruitment, retention, diversity.

Keywords:  carceral continuum, school-based pathways to prison, interagency collaboration

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