VIOLENT SCHOOLS - THE SAFE SCHOOL STUDY REPORT TO THE CONGRESS - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• NCJ Number: 45149
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FINDINGS OF A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS AND ITS COST TO THE NATION ARE PRESENTED.

Abstract

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY AND SERIOUSNESS OF CRIME IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY CRIME, THE COST OF REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR OF OBJECTS DAMAGED BY SCHOOL CRIMES, AND HOW SCHOOL CRIME CAN BE PREVENTED. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THREE PHASES: A MAIL SURVEY OF 4000 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS; ONSITE SURVEYS OF A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF 642 JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS; AND AN INTENSIVE STUDY OF 10 SCHOOLS WITH A HISTORY OF PROBLEMS WITH CRIME AND VIOLENCE. IN ASSESSING THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM, IT WAS FOUND THAT INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AND PROPERTY DESTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS INCREASED THROUGHOUT THE 1960'S TO THE EARLY 1970'S AND SUBSEQUENTLY LEVELED OFF. DATA SHOW THAT THE RISK OF VIOLENCE TO TEENAGERS IS GREATER IN SCHOOL THAN ELSEWHERE. THE PROPORTION OF SERIOUSLY AFFECTED SCHOOLS IS RELATED DIRECTLY TO COMMUNITY SIZE; THE LARGER THE COMMUNITY, THE GREATER THE PROPORTION OF SCHOOLS HAVING A SERIOUS PROBLEM. PRINCIPALS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS REPORTED HIGHER LEVELS OF SCHOOL CRIME THAN THOSE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THEFT IS THE MOST WIDESPREAD OF THE OFFENSES MEASURED. THE ESTIMATED YEARLY REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR COST DUE TO CRIME IS AROUND $200 MILLION. CONSIDERING OFFENSES AGAINST THE SCHOOL GEOGRAPHICALLY, THE RISKS TEND TO BE HIGHER IN THE NORTHEAST AND WEST THAN IN THE NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN STATES. IN MOST ATTACKS AND ROBBERIES OF STUDENTS, THE VICTIMS AND OFFENDERS ARE THE SAME SEX, ABOUT THE SAME AGE, AND USUALLY THE SAME RACE. LARGER SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS WITH LARGER CLASSES TEND TO EXPERIENCE MORE VIOLENCE AND VANDALISM, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPERSONALITY AND THEIR STUDENTS' ALIENATION. MEASURES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND CRIME RECOMMENDED BY STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND PRINCIPALS INCLUDED DISCIPLINE, SECURITY DEVICES, SECURITY PERSONNEL, TRAINING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, INVOLVEMENT, AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCHOOL CLIMATE. (VDA)