NCJ Number
204818
Date Published
2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the risks of occupational violence for those that work with adolescents.
Abstract
Both the incidence and the severity of occupational violence are increasing across industrialized countries, particularly for workers that have significant levels of face-to-face contact with their clients or customers. Education workers are not immune to these risks to their safety, health, and well-being. The risks associated with providing educational or other forms of care and support to juveniles, either through the education system or while they are in detention are described. Employees in the education industry appear to be at significant risk of the "client-initiated" form of occupational violence, although evidence is sketchy. In tertiary education, the risk factors are particularly complex, although empirical data indicate that preventive strategies are needed. The core risk factors that fuel student aggression include accusations of plagiarism, significant financial stress, and angry or stressed students. Prevention strategies include clear assessment criteria for all programs and comprehensive emergency planning. The risks to staff providing care to adolescents in detention include juveniles that have been convicted for violent behaviors, experience physical or sexual abuse in their home environments, and engage in altercations with other adolescent detainees. It is argued that the design of modern juvenile detention centers reduces the risks to a significant level. Additional human resource employment and workplace "cultural" efforts are needed to further reduce the risks from a clientele that are generally more aggressive than in most other industry sectors. Targeted risk reduction strategies can significantly reduce the potential for juveniles to progress to offender status. 25 references