disproportionately high number of minorities in prison. That may send a message that all minorities are in some way criminal elements. In some situations police may feel that they have been given the mandate by the larger society to “enforce and control” minorities rather than to “protect and serve” those communities. So, police may enter minority communities with a mindset as if they are entering some kind of war zone. If they are armed with lethal weapons, then violence is not only a high possibility; violence is a probability. Regrettably, the reality is that in some deeply divided multi-racial societies, the systems meant to administer justice are being used instead to address the fall-out when policies fail to fully integrate all sectors of the population into the full economic, education and social benefits of the nation. When we talk about the school to prison pipeline, we are talking about the massive failure of an education system, social supports and a national economy, that has relied on prisons to compensate for failures in other sectors. The outcome is one of the largest prison populations in the world which functions as a costly warehouse for what the majority may consider to be “surplus people.” Chairperson, We are here today and tomorrow to discuss safeguards and approaches that would prevent scenarios of violence and imprisonment such as the ones I have just described. I look forward to a candid and constructive discussion. Thank you Chairperson, 5