Exclusionary School Discipline and Time to First Contact with Police as a Person of Interest for Criminal Incidents Among Boys and Girls

Children suspended/expelled from school are more likely to have contact with police, but whether exclusionary school discipline is associated with an increased rate of contact, and if this differs by sex, is unclear. The association between exclusion and time to first police contact as a person of interest (POI) for a criminal offense, adjusted for demographic characteristics and prior child protection and POI contacts, was examined using time-dependent Cox proportional hazard regression among 60,686 Australian students followed between Years 3–12. Of 10,899 students excluded (18.0%), 38.3% had subsequent contact during the observation period. Exclusion was associated with a higher rate of contact (hazard ratio = 5.16, 95% confidence interval = 4.92–5.41). Associations were stronger for girls than for boys. Keeping children engaged in education might help avert early criminalization.