NCJ Number
127572
Journal
Urban Education Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (April 1990) Pages: 68-80
Date Published
1990
Length
13 pages
Annotation
In order to test the validity of the assumption that school and community order and safety are interrelated, this study examines data collected by the public school system and the metropolitan police on a typical inner-city neighborhood in Chicago.
Abstract
The school data consists of reports of serious disciplinary violations at three schools located in high crime areas, the schools' responses, and results of teacher and student surveys on school safety and order; the police data includes crimes committed in the attendance areas of the schools as well as crimes committed on school property. Between September 1987 and June 1988, the three schools surveyed recorded 106 violations serious enough to require either police notification or arrest. The teacher and student surveys indicated that many students did not feel safe in school; about a third of the students carried weapons, and many had been assaulted or involved in some kind of violence. The police statistics pointed out that the schools punish violators more severely than the surrounding community does and highlighted the fact that community crime does invade school grounds. The report also notes that, of the 106 reportable offenses, school principals notified the police in only 6.5 percent of them. Once the relationship between school safety and community crime is recognized, prompt legislative and judicial actions should be taken. The authors recommend putting pressure on local police to develop community safety programs, providing adequate correctional facilities to avoid releasing accused felons, strengthening laws on school safety, and making parents bear greater responsibility for their children's behavior. 2 tables, 2 notes, and 8 references