Our Impact

The intersecting crises of educational inequity and mass incarceration, both of which create and perpetuate racial injustice, require multifaceted solutions. We know that having access to special education legal services can be one part of the solution. Since robust federal and local special education legal protections remain in place during incarceration, we can focus our attention on making sure those who need them can access them.

SJP strives to improve access and outcomes for students at the "deep end" of the school-to-prison pipeline by using special education law to:

1) Increase access to a quality education;

2) Reduce incarceration through individualized, less-restrictive alternatives to pretrial detention and jail terms;

3) Improve reentry services, policies, and procedures to ensure that students returning to the community have a meaningful second chance; and

4) Empower students through knowledge and advocacy skills to obtain community-based support services for a successful transition to post-secondary education, employment, and civic participation.