Parents' View of Crime at School (From Crime at School: Seminar Proceedings, 1987, Canberra, Australia, P 25-30, 1987, Dennis Challinger, ed. -- See NCJ-134653)

• NCJ Number: 134655
• Author(s): H Szuty
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

In general, parent views on the treatment of crime at school are conservative because they believe all children have the right to education in a setting free from violence or the threat of violence.

Abstract

From the parental point of view, antisocial behavior includes offensive language in the classroom, subtle forms of intimidation (insults and prejudice) on the playground, psychological damage by teachers, and truancy. In addition, antisocial behavior includes physical violence such as assault, injury, and destruction. Children are subject to conflicting messages about the acceptability of violent behavior because of the double standards in society where some consider violence acceptable on the sports field on television, and in videos. There is disagreement among parents on how to achieve good discipline. One group of parents considers an authoritarian approach to be repressive and to prevent the development of responsible attitudes in students. This group wants students to be encouraged to develop self-discipline. Another group of parents supports an authoritarian regime, feeling that rigid forms of discipline they experienced themselves at school have done no harm in the long run. Apart from the minority who consider corporal punishment, expulsion, or police prosecution as obvious and easy remedies, most parents view discipline as a shared responsibility. Many positive and realistic options for coping with problem behavior students are currently in use in the Australian Capital Territory: serious consideration of student-staff relationships that emphasize a positive approach; formulation of a series of steps for dealing with students so that the situation can be improved without the use of heavy punishments; time-out process where students are separated from others because of disorderly behavior to think about their problem; and the peer support program which helps students develop a sense of responsibility, improve communication skills, and provide a supportive environment. 4 references