NCJ Number
147422
Date Published
1993
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This report presents the major findings of a survey of violence-related attitudes among high school students in New York City.
Abstract
A questionnaire was administered by teachers to 1,399 9th- through 12th-grade students in 115 schools in June 1992. The reality of violence in the community has affected their lives in many ways. One-fifth reported that they had carried some kind of weapon anywhere within the past 30 days; 85 percent of them did so for protection against possible attackers. For 36 percent of all students surveyed, the most important factor in deciding whether to get into a physical fight was the likelihood of injury to themselves. Most favored use of metal detectors in their school to find weapons on persons. Approval was especially high at the 19 schools that already use such devices. During the 1991-1992 school year, 36.1 percent of the students had been threatened, and 24.7 percent involved in a physical fight somewhere in the community (including school and home). All these and other attitudes are illustrated in further detail in summaries, tables, and figures. Demographic breakdowns are given as well. The report concludes with recommendations--among them, expanded use of metal detectors and other physical security measures, violence prevention education, and development of "Safe Passage Programs" that will enable students to travel to and from school safely without carrying weapons. 12 tables, 8 figures