New Report Reveals South Carolina Student Absences Got Worse When Juvenile Justice Systems Stepped In
Many states and school districts across the country use the juvenile justice system to address chronic absences and other school performance issues. But new, first-of-its-kind research from The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center raises significant concerns about this approach.
Rethinking the Role of the Juvenile Justice System: Improving Youth’s School Attendance and Educational Outcomes reveals that kids involved in the juvenile justice system in South Carolina not only didn’t experience attendance improvements, but their attendance actually got worse; kids missed five more days of school on average than they had in the year before their juvenile justice involvement. Even kids who received court oversight and the threat of further sanctions specifically designed to get them to attend school more did not experience any improvements in their attendance compared to their peers.
There’s little argument that school attendance and completion have long-term benefits, including reduced crime and improved labor market earnings. So, it’s understandable that state and local leaders are concerned about kids who struggle with excessive school absences. But the reasons students aren’t engaged in class and struggle with absences were individual and complex before COVID-19 was thrust into every American family. And they’re likely to be even more complicated now.
Using juvenile justice sanctions to motivate changes to kids’ school behavior is an issue many states struggle with. In about half of states, truancy is a crime. Even in states that have decriminalized truancy, youth can frequently still be sent to court for too many school absences. In 2018, U.S. schools referred more than 60,000 students—disproportionately kids of color—to court for truancy. Since 2010, referrals for almost all other types of juvenile offenses have declined, but court referrals for truancy have actually increased in recent years.
The CSG Justice Center study also raises questions about whether some schools’ policies and practices actually make it harder for justice-involved youth to engage and succeed in school. Some schools in South Carolina, and in other communities across the country, take punitive measures when kids become involved with the juvenile justice system, including barring them from attending in-person classes, automatically suspending or expelling them, and requiring them to attend alternative schools. These approaches make it harder, not easier, for kids to stay connected to the positive adults, peers, and activities that are critical to successful education.
This new research compels policymakers, judges, attorneys, probation directors, and educators to wrestle with an important question: are juvenile justice system involvement and school disciplinary measures really the most appropriate and effective ways to help kids succeed in school?
Read the full report.
Rethinking the Role of the Juvenile Justice System: Improving Youth’s School Attendance and Educational Outcomes
This webinar presents findings from an unprecedented study conducted by the CSG Justice Center on the impact of…
About the Author
Corrections leaders balance the complex priorities of maintaining public safety, operating secure facilities, providing needed care and services…
Read More
A bipartisan group of 33 members of Congress, lawmakers, led by Congresswomen Carol Miller (R-WV) and Lucy McBath…
Read More
Alabama is taking action to achieve its Reentry 2030 goals and positioning itself as a leader in reentry.
Read More
Apply Now for Resident Analyst Program to Increase Data Analysis Capacity at Departments of Corrections
Corrections leaders balance the complex priorities of maintaining public safety, operating secure…
Read More
Bipartisan Group of 33 Lawmakers Promote Continued Funding for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative
A bipartisan group of 33 members of Congress, lawmakers, led by Congresswomen…
Read More
New Alabama Employment Law Advances Reentry 2030 Goals
Alabama is taking action to achieve its Reentry 2030 goals and positioning…
Read More
President’s FY26 Budget Maintains Funding for Key Justice and Behavioral Health Programs Amid Proposed Structural Changes
On May 30, 2025, the White House released the budget request for…
Read More
Developing a Common Definition for Community Responder Programs
This May, the state of Washington passed legislation supporting the expansion of…
Read More
Finding Solutions to Complex Criminal Justice Issues: Q&A with New CSG Justice Center Advisory Board Member Justice Briana Zamora
The CSG Justice Center Advisory Board establishes the policy and project priorities…
Read More