What does dropout prevention have to do with criminal justice? A lot.
If you look at the criminal history of a serious repeat offender you will often find that it leads back to early problems such as truancy, educational failure, and dropping out of school. While a high school diploma does not automatically guarantee success in life, there is ample evidence that dropping out of school is associated with a wide range of problems including:
- Social failure,
- Substance abuse,
- Low self-esteem,
- Unwanted pregnancy,
- Unemployment, low-paying jobs, poverty, and reliance on public assistance
- Poor physical and/or mental health,
- Delinquent behavior and/or violence,
- Adult criminal behavior and/or incarceration.
The social costs of dropping out not only harm the individual student, but also impose costs on the community and undermine public safety. High school dropouts claim more in government-funded social services than graduates. Not surprisingly, communities with high rates of truancy are also likely to have corresponding rates of daytime criminal activity, property crimes and vandalism. However, dropout prevention programs are inexpensive relative to the costs imposed by these social problems.
Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders in the community, the High School Plus Coalition developed “The Roadmap to Success.” The Roadmap is an interactive website to help students navigate available resources and create a personal plan for future success. Designed with students, parents, and counselors in mind, this innovative tool helps guide career and school choices and contains up-to-date national and local resources. The Roadmap organizes information about workforce development programs, colleges and training programs, ways to save and pay for education after high school, and much more.