Florida has a particularly abysmal record when it comes to criminalizing small children, but the problem is actually a national epidemic. In the last couple of years, there have been a number of other stories about children under twelve being handcuffed. This list is just what I culled quickly from Zero Intelligence, a group blog "dedicated to keeping an eye on, and pointing out the excesses of, bad school policies and actions . . . [with] a particular focus on zero tolerance policies." I'm sure a serious Google session would yield more . . .
• Williamsburg, VA: Police Arrest 8-Year-Old After Alleged Outburst in Williamsburg Elementary School
The four-foot pupil was led away from Williamsburg's Rawls Byrd Elementary School in handcuffs Tuesday and charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery.
• Ocala, FL: Boys arrested for stick figure drawings
Two Florida students, one 9 years old and the other 10 years old, were arrested and taken out of school in handcuffs. They are being charged with "making a written threat to kill or harm another person", a felony.
One drawing showed the two boys standing on either side of the other boy and "holding knives pointed through" his body, according to a police report. The figures were identified by written names or initials.
• Tuscaloosa, AL: County officials defend handcuffing
Deputy Antonio Bostic handcuffed a 9-year-old fourth-grader at Holt Elementary School (in the Tuscaloosa County School System). This action followed a non-violent verbal argument between the student and her gym teacher and was apparently done to "teach the girl a lesson". Toniko L. Alexander, the girls mother, sued and the County is busy defending the officer's actions.
Another teacher overheard the argument from across the gymnasium and ordered the student to come speak with her, according to the complaint.
While the girl was walking to the teacher, Bostic intervened and ordered her to come speak with him, insisting that he handle the situation when the other teacher said she could take care of it.
According to the complaint, Bostic stood the girl in a doorway, placed handcuffs on her and told her: “This is what happens to people when they break the law," and “This is how it feels to be in jail."
The girl remained handcuffed for 10 minutes while her classmates looked on. Since this happened she has a fear of law enforcement officials in general and Bostic in particular. The complaint also claims that she suffered "internal bleeding, bruising, severe personal embarrassment, public humiliation and continuing mental anguish, including nightmares and crying spells".
• Houston, TX: 11 year-old girl arrested at school for shoving match that happened a week previous
It started as a shoving incident, and then one of the two girls was suspended for two days. But then parents of the girl who wasn't suspended simply were not satisfied with Cy-Fair's punishment so they filed a complaint and had the other student arrested.
...
The 11-year-old girl was arrested, handcuffed, photographed and fingerprinted after she was picked up from Walker Elementary. She and her mom say there had been a shoving incident last week. She says the other girl wound up with a bloody nose, that she was suspended for two days and thought it would end there.
The increases in these kinds of cases occurs at the same time that violent crime in schools has dropped dramatically in the last decade. Here's Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund:
Increased criminalization of children is occurring despite a recent federal report that shows violent crime in schools fell 50 percent between 1992 and 2002. The growing reliance on police and courts to manage children with mental health, behavioral, learning and other issues merits the attention of parents, educators, faith leaders, and lawmakers. We must prevent the juvenile justice system from continuing as a dumping ground for poor and minority children with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Minority youth make up 34 percent of the adolescent population but 62 percent of youth in detention. (Emphasis added.)
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