NCJ Number
84112
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1982) Pages: 15-24
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The public schools contribute to juvenile delinquency through negative labeling based on academic achievement, race, behavior and social characteristics; irrelevant educational curriculums; arbitrary use of authority; and inconsistent discipline.
Abstract
During school age, the school is a primary social environment for the child, along with the family, and family values tend to give high priority to school achievement. Failure to perform well in school tends to foster a sense of alienation from the authority figures whose standards are not met, as well as the social expectations represented in the authority figures. Those who fail to perform well in school tend to seek solace in one another's companionship, which may foster a peer reinforced rebelliousness against normative standards of behavior and achievement. Alienation may also be fostered by education that appears irrelevant to the probable future of many students. An education designed primarily for those who will attend college fails to meet the needs of those who will not attend or complete college. Further, the use of arbitrary rules and decisions by teachers and school administrators breeds cynicism and a sense of powerlessness that also fuels deviant behavior. Delinquency prevention that focuses on the individual student while ignoring the contribution of the structure of public schooling to deviancy is destined to fail. Seventy footnotes are listed.