NCJ Number
223339
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 349-380
Date Published
June 2008
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This study examined the contribution of schools and school-related behavior to the victimization experiences of students.
Abstract
The study found that minorities were significantly less likely than whites to be assault and larceny victims in the community; less likely to be assault victims at school; and that ethnicity, conditioned by school composition, might be an important determinant of victimization risk, findings which departed from those of previous research. Although a growing body of research on student safety focuses on school disorder, school climate, and the intersection of community/situational factors, comparatively less research has focused specifically on the individual- and school-level factors that put students at risk of victimization in the immediate school environment. This study attempted to broaden the understanding of the contribution of schools and school behavior to the victimization experiences of students, comparing traditional routine activity constructs to understand whether and how they differentially influence the risk of community and school victimization. Additionally, school-related variables (behavioral and structural) which explained variation in young people's risk for school victimization were investigated. Concerning the prediction of victimization, this work found that lower risk went to students who were strong in academic performance and attendance and had shorter commutes to school; victimization risk was not influenced by security measures; and that school disorder and rule clarity consistently modified school victimization rate. Data were obtained from the 2001 and 2003 School Crime Supplements to the National Crime Victimization Survey, a nationally representative sample of U.S. households. Tables, references, appendix