The School-to-Gang Pipeline: Examining the Impact of School Suspension on Joining a Gang for the First Time

Abstract

This study draws on labeling and routine activity theory to examine whether being suspended from school is associated with subsequent gang membership onset. With data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), we estimated discrete time models that predict gang membership onset from ages 12 to 19. The results revealed that being suspended from school at one wave was associated with an increased hazard on gang membership onset at the next wave. The results also revealed that although being suspended from school during one wave increased the hazard of gang membership onset, youth who are suspended during multiple waves tended to have an even higher hazard of gang membership onset.