Zero Tolerance

7 Pages 1642 Words

ero tolerance looks only at the offense that has been made, not at the circumstances that brought it about. If someone with no intent of doing something unlawful accidentally commits a crime, they are punished equally with one who deliberately inflicts harm.
So how did zero tolerance laws come about? When major incidences of school disruption, like the Columbine shooting, started occurring, school officials decided they needed to start cracking down on discipline. After realizing certain things were starting to get out of hand, the federal government made it mandatory for, "[...] a zero tolerance policy toward the possession of illegal drugs and weapons on school grounds," (Copenhaver 1).
In the beginning days of zero tolerance, the laws truly did focus on behavior that could be deemed dangerous and criminal, and required a mandatory expulsion for having a gun on school property. However, since it's origin, the policies have expanded to include infractions that pose no actual threat to any person, including the...