School To Prison Pipeline Summary

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Pages: 4

Many people agree that the issues of race, racial inequality, and systemic bias are deeply rooted within our criminal justice system. The Central Park 5 case is one of the most monumental court proceedings that shows just how much the criminal justice system is designed to keep black men, African American youth, and people of color marginalized. A common phrase used to describe this phenomenon is “the school-to-prison pipeline.” This documentary addresses many social, political, and economic issues - some of which include: racial profiling, wrongful convictions, the impact of media sensationalism, and a lack of proper legal representation - as well as the impact they have had on the Central Park 5 and their families.

The documentary highlights
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One can assume that being from low-income families reinforces stereotypes and biases about their character and credibility. Additionally, the prosecution had the resources and power to present a compelling case against them, using their status to paint them as “criminals”. Looking back on this case, none of the Central Park 5 boys had the proper representation. None of their parents were there, nor did they have a lawyer present. From the looks of it, the boys were unaware of their rights. According to the documentary, they had been interrogated for between 14 and 30 hours. After viewing their “confessions,” one might conclude that the officers were using a form of cohesion. In the recordings, officers were leading the boys to believe that once they got the information that was needed, they would be able to return home to their families. Antron, Kevin, Yusef, Raymond, and Korey were just doing and saying what was necessary so they could go home to their parents. The injustices faced by the park boys didn't just stop with this economic imbalance. Even after being released from prison prior to their exoneration, the boys continued to suffer economically and socially. Finding jobs hasn't been an easy task, especially because no one wants