Law enforcement's secret list of which kids will be criminals

You've heard the old yarn about how state planners use elementary test scores to predict how many prison beds they will need in the future.

It's a myth. Still, we need to still be vigilant about what data really says about our kids, and how some of their state-held data is used against them.

On the latter point: the Tampa Bay Times has found an internal intelligence manual for the Pasco Sheriff's Office that reveals a "secret list" of kids it predicts will be criminals.

Here's a snippet from the story:

The Sheriff’s Office assembles the list by combining the rosters for most middle and high schools in the county with records so sensitive, they’re protected by state and federal law.

School district data shows which children are struggling academically, miss too many classes or are sent to the office for discipline. Records from the state Department of Children and Families flag kids who have witnessed household violence or experienced it themselves.

According to the manual, any one of those factors makes a child more likely to become a criminal.

Four hundred and twenty kids are on the list, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The process largely plays out in secret. The Sheriff’s Office doesn’t tell the kids or their parents about the designation. In an interview, schools superintendent Kurt Browning said he was unaware the Sheriff’s Office was using school data to identify kids who might become criminals. 

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE.