NCJ Number
75063
Date Published
1977
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Results of a school crime survey conducted by the New York City teachers union are described, and major problems are identified and discussed.
Abstract
During 1976-77 the New York City school system had 3,136 staff-related incidents in 989 schools. Four hundred and fourteen schools reported no staff-related incidents and an additional 414 schools reported only one incident. Eighty-two schools had 10 or more incidents for a total of 1,359 occurrences, nearly half of the total. Fifty-two of these schools were high schools, with Brooklyn and the Bronx accounting for 33 of the 52. Victims were analyzed by sex, and identified perpetrators were classified as students or nonstudents. In a 6-week sample, there were 329 incidents in which 175 of the victims were female staff members and 154 were males, a higher percentage of males than that found in the total staff population. Taking a 4-week sample of 206 incidents, 104 perpetrators were identified as students, while 92 were listed as unknowns which included intruders, parents, and unidentified persons. Major problems related to school safety include: (1) the failure of the criminal justice system to prevent and punish school crime, (2) a lack of security awareness on the part of school staff, (3) understaffing of school security forces, and (4) inaccurate reporting of incidents. Internal security should be improved, awareness and human relations programs should be implemented, improved reporting procedures should be established, and trespass charges should be pressed against all school intruders. Tabular data and an anecdotal list of a sample of school incidents are included. An appendix includes sample reporting forms, definitions of school incidents, and a copy of a followup letter sent to teachers involved in incidents. (Author/Eric abstract modified)