Imprisoning ‘Those’ kids: Neoliberal logics and the disciplinary alternative school
Abstract
Despite a perceived retrenchment of exclusionary school punishment, the disciplinary alternative school has emerged as a space in which to enforce upon marginalized students the logics of neoliberal carcerality. This article draws on the code of conduct handbooks of 15 Texas Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs to illustrate how this space seeks to reaffirm social and economic marginality for certain youth. Specific processes in the alternative school prepare youth for a life of imprisonment, often characterized by criminal justice system involvement, but also precarious (un)employment. As such, this article situates the disciplinary alternative school as one of many ‘alternatives’ to carcerality through which the carceral state maintains its power.
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Recidivism is often the primary measure of post-release success in disciplinary alternative schools, which fails to account for reentry obstacles in historically marginalized communities.
“Furthermore, recidivism is often the primary measure of post-release success in these schools, which fails to account for the reentry obstacles they face in HMCs.”
From School Reentry: Exploring Healing-Centered Mechanisms for Formerly Incarcerated Transition-Age Black Males in an Urban Intensive, Asset-Based Alternative School (2026) · cites this paper as Selman, 2017
Disciplinary alternative schools face criticism for employing surveillance and punitive strategies that overlook root causes of student behaviors such as unmet basic needs, mental health challenges, and racism.
“Disciplinary alternative schools, emphasizing behavior management, face criticism for employing surveillance and punitive strategies that overlook root causes of student behaviors (e.g., unmet basic needs, mental health challenges, racism) (Selman, 2017).”
From School Reentry: Exploring Healing-Centered Mechanisms for Formerly Incarcerated Transition-Age Black Males in an Urban Intensive, Asset-Based Alternative School (2026) · cites this paper as Selman, 2017
Cites
Alternative Education Programs: Program and Student Characteristics
Foley, R. M., & Pang, L.-S. (2006) · The High School Journal · doi:10.1353/hsj.2006.0003 · Cited by 208 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Importantly, those disruptive students are predominantly male students of color and lower socioeconomic status (Foley and Pang, 2006; Vanderhaar et al., 2015).”
BackgroundInfluentialAlternative Schools: A Synthesis of State-Level Policy and Research
Lehr, C. A., Tan, C. S., & Ysseldyke, J. (2009) · Remedial and Special Education · doi:10.1177/0741932508315645 · Cited by 186 · cited 2× · see citing works
“…be removed.6 The precise path to disciplinary alternative school varies across the nation, but the existing research finds that in most instances, students (and their parents) do not choose to attend these schools – distinguishing them from other forms of alternative education (Lehr et al., 2009).”
BackgroundRethinking Alternative Education to Break the Cycle of Educational Inequality and Inequity
Kim, J.-H., & Taylor, K. A. (2008) · The Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.3200/joer.101.4.207-219 · Cited by 167 · cited 3× · see citing works
“8 Alternative school students not only lack access to resources but also receive a curriculum that focuses largely on vocational training rather than higher education or professional training (Foley and Pang, 2006; Kim and Taylor, 2008; Simmons, 2010).”
BackgroundNew abolition, criminology and a critical carceral studies
Brown, M., & Schept, J. (2017) · Punishment & Society · doi:10.1177/1462474516666281 · Cited by 165 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In recognizing that the carceral state can operate through both obviously carceral practices and their ‘alternatives’, we can begin to ‘move through critique to the rigorous, promising work of envisioning and practicing a world otherwise’ (Brown and Schept, 2016: 17).”
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Shamrova, D., Boppre, B., Lampe, J., & Hastings, M. (2024) · Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth · doi:10.1080/1045988x.2023.2222678 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Lea, C. H., Sardesai, T., Edwards, K. T., Andrade, G. M., & Kim, B.-K. E. (2026) · Education Sciences · doi:10.3390/educsci16040653
- Authors
- Selman, K. J.
- Corresponding author
- Selman, Kaitlyn J.
- ORCID
- Selman, Kaitlyn J.
- Venue
- Youth Justice
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-06-12
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 213-231
- ISSN
- 1473-2254 (ISSN-L)
- 1747-6283
- OpenAlex
- W2625845993
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 3.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Youth Justice (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Education Discipline and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
- Keywords
- neoliberalism, carceral state, student discipline, marginalized youth, criminal justice involvement, precarious employment, alternatives to imprisonment
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