Leid Stories - The School-to-Prison Pipeline - 12/13/12

The longstanding claims of parents, educators and activists that schoolchildren in poor communities across the United States not only receive substandard education but also are cultivated as prime fodder for the nation's prisons is finally getting federal attention -- and long-overdue intervention.  A U.S. Senate hearing Dec. 12 and an Oct. 24 Justice Department lawsuit against the State of Mississippi and several of its agencies are the latest chapters in the shameful story of the "school-to-prison pipeline."