Book Review: The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Structuring Legal Reform

• Author: Robert Costello
• Date: 01 September 2012
• Published date: 01 September 2012
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016811421982
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

It is also clear that the media do not publish or broadcast every criminal act that is within the public

domain, but are selective of the kind of crimes, criminals and circumstances upon they report. Some

criminal acts are chosen over others because of their ‘‘newsworthiness’’—in other words, those aspects

of a crime that journalists argue make for a god news story, a judgment which is, in turn, a product of

their ‘‘newsroom culture’’ (p. 111).

Here, Wilson clearly gives the reader an idea of why certain crimes, not just serial murders, are sen-

sationalized and others are not.

Another notable factor of the book is the author’s sufficient usage of past literature. Wilson

gives references that are related to the areas of criminolo gy and journalism and gives the reader

a more detailed explanation of why some crimes are highly publicized. An example would be Wil-

son’s notation of Yvonne Jewke’s ‘‘newsworthiness’’ criteria. These criteria included factors such

as ‘‘celebrity or high-status persons,’’ ‘‘proximity,’’and ‘‘children.’’ He also mentioned the works

of criminological theorists such as Emile Durkheim in relation to suicide of certain killers.

Psychological and social learning theories are also mentioned in Chapter Eight: Explaining

‘‘Ordinary’’ Murder and Murder Investigations. Wilson’s current book sufficiently fits within

these previous references.

One minor weakness that was found in the book was the title. Wilson did not refer back to the first

case of Laura Stainforth enough. He partially makes up for it by mentioning her in the Postscript,

where he sums up the purpose of the book and asks why we forget cases such as Laura’s. A more

general title that encompasses all of the topics he covered in the book would have been more

sufficient.

Although there was the small weakness of the title, this book has many strengths. His writing

style caters to an academic audience as well as an audience that is outside of the world of crimin-

ology and journalism. Within the Postscript, he goes back to the case of Laura Stainforth and asks

the question of ‘‘why?’’ Why are cases such as these forgotten or ignored and passed on like the

latest fad? Wilson gives an adequate explanation as to why this is and brings the world of crimin-

ology into a new direction that has not been examined by many researchers.

C. Kim, D. Losen, & D. Hewitt

The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Structuring Legal Reform New York, NY: NYU Press, 2010. vii, 228 pp., $35.00.

ISBN 978-0814748435

Reviewed by: Robert Costello, Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016811421982

As an avid reader of books pertaining to criminal justice scholarship, I must commend the

authors of The School-To-Prison Pipeline for not only writing an informative and well-written

piece backed with data and meticulous citations but also for having enthusiasm and passion for

this vital subject that comes forward throughout the book. This combination of ‘‘head and heart’’

is too often missing in the academic writings and one that is greatly appreciated.

The school-to-prison pipeline refers ‘‘to the confluence of education policies in under

resourced public schools and a predominantly punitive juvenile justice system that fails to pro-

vide education and mental health services for our most at-risk students and drastically increases

the likelihood that these children will end up with a criminal record rather than a high school

diploma’’ (p. 4).

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