NCJ Number
145878
Journal
EuroCriminology Volume: 5-6 Dated: (1993) Pages: 19-38
Date Published
1993
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Violence, defined as being societally determined, is prevalent in the school systems of industrialized countries such as Germany, Japan, and the United States.
Abstract
The term violence must be clearly defined and limited to physical force that can cause psychological and social defects in victims. In the school setting, physical force can be used by or directed against both teachers and students. Physical attacks on teachers in the United States have increased continuously since 1955. Estimates indicate that 10 percent of teachers in junior high schools are attacked yearly, 5 percent are robbed, 76 percent report abuse by students, and 36 percent acknowledge student threats of bodily harm. The number of physical attacks on teachers in Japan has also increased. In urban public schools in the United States, at least half of all students are attacked by their fellow students annually, and one- third are robbed. In Japan, 948 cases of school violence were reported to the police in 1987 that involved 2,852 offenders and 1,692 victims. Surveys also show that violence levels are relatively high in some German and Swedish schools. In U.S. schools, 20 million thefts and 400,000 acts of vandalism are committed yearly; German schools have experienced a significant amount of vandalism as well. Recommendations to prevent school violence focus on improving interpersonal relationships among teachers, students, and parents and using the criminal justice system only in exceptional cases. Causes and theories of school violence are examined. 58 references