NCJ Number
167204
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 27 Issue: 5 Dated: (September/October 1997) Pages: 31-32,40
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Campus crime and personal safety issues continue to attract national public policy attention, and there is greater awareness of individual campus crime statistics and general crime rates since passage of the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990.
Abstract
Since the mid-1980s, homicide rates have declined for adults in the United States. Over the same period, however, homicide rates for those under 25 years of age have dramatically increased. Of 2,400 campuses for which the Consortium for Higher Education Campus Crime Research maintains data, 18 percent report at least one weapon violation on campus each year. For campuses reporting weapon violations, the average is about 3.5 weapon violations, and some campuses report more than 40 such incidents each year. In addition, there is a statistically significant relationship between the rate of drug violations on campus and the rate of weapons violations. The best predictors of drug violations on campus are the rate of drug arrests for the State in which the campus is located and the rate of liquor violations on campus. Campuses that have high rates of weapon violations also have high rates of violent crime on campus. The impact of the link between drug sales and use on campus and violence is discussed. The need for effective drug and violence prevention policies and appropriate law enforcement responses is emphasized. 5 notes and 3 figures