Archive for School to Prison Pipeline

Adderall Abuse By Academically Ambitious Juveniles

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

The New York Times recently published a lengthy advertisement for the amphetamine, Adderall.  Technically, it wasn’t supposed to be a commercial.  It was a feature story entitled, “Risky Rise of the Good Grade Pill.”  But the manufacturer of Adderall would…

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When Truancy Leads To Jail Time

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

The well-publicized case of Diane Tran has taken a happy turn. Tran, an honors student from Houston, Texas, was arrested last week after missing ten days of school.  It turned out that she wasn’t playing hookie. Because her parents had recently…

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LAUSD School Citations Receive Greater Scrutiny

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

The Center for Public Integrity has published an excellent article discussing the citations issued by the police force for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The article, entitled, “Los Angeles school police citations draw federal scrutiny,” describes how the…

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Los Angeles Unified School District’s Police Department

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

The Los Angeles Unified School has its own Police Chief. His name is Steven Zipperman, and according to press reports, he heads a police force of 340 officers and staff. The School District’s police force has been busy.  Between 2009…

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Gladys R. Hearing: When Young Children Are Accused of California Crimes

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

Police officers in Milledgeville, Georgia arrested and handcuffed a six-year old who was throwing a tantrum in her kindergarten class. Not surprisingly, the arrest received national media attention. Could this happen in California? Perhaps. Nothing prevents school officials from calling…

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The School to Prison Pipeline

Jerod Gunsberg, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer

The BBC World Service has produced an excellent audio documentary about how the public school system in Texas criminalizes petty student misbehavior.  Perhaps the most eye-opening moment is when a young teen describes how security officers repeatedly issued misdemeanor citations to…

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