TRENDS IN STUDENT VIOLENCE AND CRIME IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS FROM 1950 TO 1975 - A HISTORICAL VIEW (FROM THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SCHOOL CRIME, V 1, 1978 - SEE NCJ-58773)

• NCJ Number: 58793
• Author(s): R J RUBEL
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 40 pages
• Corporate Author: Sri Lanka Prison Headquarters
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TRENDS IN THE INCIDENCE, INTENSITY, VARIETY, AND COSTS OF SCHOOL CRIME FROM 1950 TO 1975, AS REFLECTED PRIMARILY IN UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS, ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

CRIME IN PULBIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS BECAME AN ISSUE OF NATIONAL CONCERN IN THE LATE 1960'S AS THE COSTS OF STUDENT VANDALISM ROSE, AS GROUP DISRUPTIONS TOOK PLACE ON SECONDARY SCHOOL CAMPUSES, AND AS PUBLIC ATTENTION WAS DIRECTED TO STUDENT VIOLENCE IN THE SCHOOLS. THERE IS SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE THAT CHANGES IN REPORTING PROCEDURES GAVE THE PUBLIC A VASTLY DISTORTED IMPRESSION OF THE SCHOOL CRIME PROBLEM. A STRONG CASE CAN BE MADE THAT AN INCREASE IN CERTAIN OFFENSES, ESPECIALLY VANDALISM, OCCURRED IN THE MID- TO LATE 1960'S RATHER THAN IN THE 1970'S. ERRORS IN DATA INTERPRETATION, COMBINED WITH DRASTIC INCREASES IN THE NUMBERS OF ASSAULTS AGAINST TEACHERS (WHILE RATES OF ASSAULT HELD CONSTANT), GAVE THE PUBLIC THE IMPRESSION OF AN INCREASINGLY INTENSE TEACHER-ASSAULT PROBLEM. THIS IMPRESSION CANNOT BE SUBSTANTIATED BY DATA. HOWEVER, THERE IS EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THE RATES OF VANDALISM, BURGLARY, LARCENY, AND ARSON HAVE INCREASED, ALTHOUGH JUST WHEN THEY INCREASED IS SUBJECT TO QUESTION. VANDALISM THEFT, AND BURGLARY RATES BEGAN TO INCREASE DURING A PERIOD IN WHICH SCHOOL PROPERTY VALUES INCREASED, AND MORE AND MORE PUPILS WERE ATTENDING FEWER AND FEWER SCHOOLS. THE DOLLAR LOSS CAUSED BY FIRES IN SCHOOLS HAS INCREASED MORE RAPIDLY THAN HAVE SCHOOL PROPERTY VALUES. OFTEN FIRES ARE THE SINGLE MOST COSTLY LOSS SUFFERED BY A SCHOOL OR A SCHOOL DISTRICT. ESTIMATES OF THE COSTS OF SCHOOL CRIME VARY WIDELY, APPARENTLY DEPENDING ON THE ORIENTATION OF THE GROUP COLLECTING THE DATA, AND ON THE STATISTICAL METHODS USED. THAT THE DATA ON SCHOOL CRIME ARE IMPERFECT DOES NOT PREVENT THE CONCLUSION THAT SUCH CRIME HAS INCREASED IN ALL RESPECTS (VARIETY, FREQUENCY, INTENSITY, COST) OUT OF PROPORTION TO INCREASES IN THE PUPIL POPULATION. PREDICTIONS REGARDING THE FUTURE ACTIONS OF STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS, PARTICULARLY AS THEY BEAR UPON THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL SECURITY OFFICER IN REDUCING FEAR OF CRIME AND IN PROVIDING LIAISON WITH STUDENTS, ARE OFFERED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)